Election Day is a little more than a week away, and candidates are making final pitches to gather support from constituents. This includes a new crop of voters, Generation Z, many of whom will be voting for the first time.

Molly Murray, a student from New York, expressed her excitement about voting in her first presidential election.

“I voted absentee three times now. But this is the first one where I have this nice little section that says electors for president and vice president. It’s super, super exciting,” she said.

While some students like Murray reside in their voting state, others face challenges with absentee ballots. Kristen Kiernan, a student from New Jersey, encountered issues when her absentee ballot request was not received.

“I sent it in late September and didn’t hear back. I’m checking my mailbox every couple of days here at school and I’m not seeing my ballot,” she shared.

Fortunately for Kiernan, she she resolved it by visiting her local elections office during fall break.

Mail-in or in-person absentee ballots are due by Election Day in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. In New Jersey and New York, ballots must be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day and received shortly after. Many students emphasize the importance of having a voting plan.

“I’ll probably go early in the morning when the polls open, right before class,” said Milo Zlatev.

According to CIRCLE, more than 8 million young people have reached voting age since the 2022 midterms.

“That’s enough to make a lot of really meaningful change, whether that’s on the national level or on their local level,” Murray added.

The U.S. Postal Service assures that robust processes are in place to handle election mail efficiently.

“We are employing robust and proven processes to ensure proper handling and delivery of all election mail, including ballots,” a USPS statement read.

For more information on state rules and deadlines, students can visit the USPS website.