Cast your presidential ballot TODAY

Presidential Election Day 2016 is still two weeks away, but South Florida residents can vote in person even sooner. Starting today, many Miami-Dade County and Broward County libraries serve as early-voting polling places as do several community and civic centers. Check the Miami-Dade and Broward county election websites for locations and hours.

Through Nov. 6, any citizen can vote early at any polling place in the county in which he or she is registered. (On Election Day, Nov. 8, however, voters must go to their assigned polling place. Voters can locate their assigned polling place by checking their individual voter information card or going to their county’s election web site.)

A voter must present a current photo identification card at the polls to cast a ballot. Among the most commonly accepted forms of ID are a Florida driver’s license and U.S. passport.

Voters who wish to vote by mail can request a ballot up to six days before the election (again, check county election websites for instructions) and must return the completed ballot by mail by 7 p.m. on Election Day or in person at an early voting site or their assigned polling place on Election Day.

(Note that the FIU libraries are not early voting sites nor is there a designated polling place on either campus.)

Voters might also wish to visit their county’s election website to download a sample ballot to familiarize themselves with the local and state elections in which they can vote as well as any ballot initiatives. Marked up sample ballots or notes can be used by voters as a guide when completing an official ballot at the polls.

No matter which voting method one chooses—or for whom one decides to vote—the point is to take advantage of our constitutional right, says FIU student Nykeema Radway, who is president of the Black Student Union.

“If we want to really make changes, we have to exercise our right in having a voice. That’s where it starts,” says Radway, who encourages students to take part in local elections as well as the presidential vote. “In order to build the future, we have to tackle the existing structures. We have to realize the impact that our generation can have.”