As the general election looms closer and closer, there are a few things you should know as you are heading into the voting booth.

First of all, you will need a valid, state-issued photo ID to vote this election cycle. Examples of these would include a driver’s license or passport. Your VolCard with that glowing picture of you from freshman year—that will not cut it.

If you don’t have a photo ID, like millions of college students across this great nation, you will need to head down to one of the many convenient Driver Service Center locations across the state. Bring with you proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate) and two proofs of Tennessee residency, such as a utility bill, vehicle registration, or bank statement. It is totally easy and definitely not a huge hassle at all.

Here are some fun facts about voter ID laws while we’re on the subject: these new laws are meant to prevent voter fraud, which happens with just about the same likelihood as being struck by lightning, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. In many states, the cost of getting a photo ID for voting is more than poll taxes used to cost back when they were still legal, even after accounting for inflation. As many as 11 percent of eligible voters do not have a photo ID. Those most likely to not have an ID are seniors, racial minorities, people with disabilities, the poor, and students—most of whom would traditionally vote Democrat. These laws have been overwhelmingly supported by Republicans, but of course that’s all just a coincidence.

Another thing you should know before election day is that UT has been gerrymandered—oops, I mean “redistricted”—splitting us right down the middle. Most parts of campus above the strip, including Clement Hall, Vol Hall, and most of the Fort, have had their polling location moved to the Fort Sanders School on 21st and Laurel Avenue. Previously, everyone at UT could vote in the UC. Information about the change has not been disseminated widely, so many people who show up to vote in the UC on Election Day will not know where to go once they are turned away. But all of us students have plenty of time to figure all this out on Election Day, right?

There also will not be any early voting on campus this year, for some unknown reason. If you can’t vote on Election Day in your designated polling place, the only thing you can do is send in an absentee ballot, if you request it ahead of time from the election commission. Information about this (also unnecessarily complicated) process is available online. A few important notes: If this is the first election you have voted in, you cannot vote absentee. A ballot request must be received by October 30, and your vote must be received by Election Day. If you request an absentee ballot, you are no longer eligible to vote in person on Election Day

If you still haven’t registered to vote, there is still time to do so. The deadline for registering for the November election is October 8. If you are mailing your registration in, it has to be postmarked by October 6.

Despite all the hoops our legislature has created in order to vote, it is still important to try and do so if you are able. Only through voting can we vote out the people who support discriminatory voter ID laws and shady gerrymandering. All hope for our political system will be lost once people give up on it and let those in power become comfortable with their positions.

— Lindsay Lee is a junior in mathematics. She can be reached at [email protected].