First time voting? No problem! Whether it’s the legalization of marijuana, taxes, or choosing the next president, the UGL has got your back. Check out these resources for casting your vote on campus this election cycle.

Early voting

Did you know you don’t have to wait until Election Day to cast our vote? Early voting started Monday, October 24 and will continue all the way up to Election Day, Tuesday, November 8. There are nearly a dozen places in Champaign county where you can cast your vote and two places right here on campus. Voters can visit either the Federal Room in the basement of the Illini Union or the ARC (Activities and Recreation Center) to cast your ballot. Here’s the times and locations for early voting on campus:

Illini Union (Federal Room–basement)

1401 West Green Street, Urbana

• Monday, October 24 through Friday, November 4: weekdays 10:00am – 6:00pm
• Saturday, November 5: 9:00am – 12:00pm
• Sunday, November 6: 1:00pm – 4:00pm

ARC (Activities and Recreation Center)

201 E Peabody Dr, Champaign

• Monday, October 31 through Friday, November 4: 10:00am – 6:00pm
• Saturday, November 5: 9:00am – 12:00pm
• Sunday, November 6: 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Walk-up voter registration

If you forgot to register, it’s not too late. Voter registration is super easy. If you a 18 years old (or will be by Election Day) and a US citizen, then bring a photo ID/license and a piece of mail with your current Champaign/Urbana address to either the Union or the ARC. You can even register and vote on the same day! Not sure if you’re registered? Check our Illinois’ Registration Lookup: https://ova.elections.il.gov/RegistrationLookup.aspx

Getting to the polls

If you won’t be on campus on Election Day, no worries! There are nearly a dozen places around Champaign County where you can cast your vote. To make transportation even easier on Election Day, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (CU-MTD), the bus system, is offering free bus rides all day. From 5:30am-7:30pm, no ID, pass, or cash is required to get your to a polling station.

https://www.cumtd.com/about-us/news/article/487/

Absentee ballots

If you’re not originally from Champaign County and you’re feeling some loyalty to your home precinct, it’s not too late to request a ballot by mail. Just make sure it’s received no later than November 3. Request an in-state ballot from the Illinois State Board of Elections.

https://www.elections.il.gov/VotingInformation/VotingByMail.aspx

What else can I vote for besides the presidential candidate?

There are multiple initiatives on the ballot and multiple positions “down-ballot” that need your input. To find more in-depth information on the issues and candidates, check out Illinois’ Voter’s Edge, an online tool developed in partnership with Illinois Public Media:

http://votersedge.org/il

 Taking selfies with your ballot?

Sorry, that’s against the rules. Voting is serious business here in Illinois. You’ll want to put your phone away once you pick up your ballot. In Illinois showing your marked ballot to another voter is a felony that can earn you up to three years in prison. So whether it’s in person, via text or Twitter, keep your ballot to yourself! Of course, if you want to share who you voted for, share away!

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/10/25/13389980/ballot-selfie-legal-illegal

Those are all the tips we’ve got for voting this election, but if you have specific questions, Tweet us @askundergrad or find us on Facebook!

Cats like to hide. It’s what they do! For 15 Mondays beginning October 31 (excluding campus breaks), a photo of Uggles the UGL cat will be hiding in a location around campus. Locate her to win $10 cash from the UGL and have your name entered into a raffle for the grand prize of a Kindle Fire. The winner each week will also have the option to be honored on our Instagram account as the week’s victor!

For clues as to where Uggles is hiding each Monday, follow the UGL on Instagram (@askundergrad). During Spring 2017, we will begin to reveal the special meaning behind all of Uggles’ chosen hiding spots. Happy searching!

RULES & ELIGIBILITY:
1. Eligible participants are undergraduate UIUC students who are enrolled during Fall 2016 and Spring 2017.
2. In order to win, participants must bring the photo of Uggles into the Undergraduate Library and present it to staff at the front desk.
3. Each week, the winner will receive $10, as well as have their name entered into a drawing for a Kindle Fire once the contest is finished in Spring 2017.
4. Winners will need to claim their prize in person and present proof of eligibility (i-card).
5. Students are only eligible to win a cash prize once for the duration of the competition.
6. If a prize remains unclaimed by Sunday at 1pm, it will not be awarded for that week.

There’s only one week to go before the spookiest holiday of the year! Cozy up or hunker down with these creepy stories fit for a chilly October evening. Find all of these titles right here at the UGL!

The Haunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates

The Haunting of Blackwood House – Darcy Coates

If you’re a big haunted house fan, you’ll love The Haunting of Blackwood House. Mara, the daughter of spiritualists, is fed up with the occult: no more seances, scams, and ghosts. She and her fiance fall in love with an old house. People tried to warn Mara and Neil about the house: its odd cold spots in the basement where the original owner was murdered, bloody handprints that appear on the walls, and whispering voices. Mara won’t accept that nonsense, though, because ghosts aren’t real. What will it take to prove to Mara that she and Neil aren’t alone?

Library of the Dead edited by Michael Bailey

The Library of the Dead – edited by Michael Bailey

We had to include a horror story about a library! Okay, so it’s a crematory and columbarium. The “library of the dead” contains thousands of urns, known as “golden books,” filled with the ashes of those who have passed. This Bram Stoker Award-winning anthology, inspired by the real crematory Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, is composed of fifteen spooky stories about the inhabitants of the golden books. Fans of literary fiction, short stories, and less gorey horror will love this pick.

Book of Shadows by Alexandra Sokoloff

Book of Shadows – Alexandra Sokoloff

Love a good detective-witch pairing? Missing Charmed? When a wealthy college student is murdered in what seems like a Satanic ritual, Adam, a rising homicide detective quickly arrests another student who may have been either stalking or dating the murdered woman. Instead of a case closed, though, in comes Tanith, a witch from nearby Salem. She convinces him that the killer is still at large and murdering other teenagers in order to summon a powerful demon. A blend of witchcraft, murder, and mystery, this book is great for horror readers of all types.

The Sorority by Tamara Thorne

The Sorority – Tamara Thorne

If you thought your sorority was intense, just wait until you read about Gamma Eta Pi. This twisted sisterhood is bad, and they’re the envy and horror of Greenbriar University. When you pledge this sorority, your connections are truly for life: until death each sister must remain faithful to the evil coven. Gamma Eta Pi is actually a secret society called Fata Morgana, a centuries old coven with rituals, dark magic, and murder. The Sorority is perfect for fans of Scream Queens and other cheesy horror.

Z-Boat by Suzanne Robb

Z-Boat – Suzanne Robb

After the world has largely deteriorated, a submarine, Betty Loo, is sent to rescue some survivors. Readers won’t know who to trust when the mission reaches what they’ve been looking for. Spoiler alert: there’s zombies. Suzanne Robb’s thriller-horror-dystopia blended trilogy isn’t just another zombie novel, though. The series was lauded for its creative setting underwater and the inability to decide who is the hero of the story. This series transcends genres and will appeal to readers of dystopian fiction and thrillers too.

Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror edited by Lynne Jamneck

Dreams from the Witch House: Female Voices of Lovecraftian Horror – edited by Lynne Jamneck

Dreams From the Witch House is another anthology for the literary types, but is only written by women! If you like the classic stuff from Lovecraft but wish horror was more inclusive of women, this is the book for you. Each tale is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos universe, which tackles dreamlands, pseudomythology, cosmic beings, and illusions. Gothic and horror giants like Joyce Carol Oates, Gemma Files, and Caitlin R. Kiernan are only a few of the authors featured in this twenty-story collection.