As students across Wisconsin finish finals and leave campus for the summer, we wanted to make sure to share some important information about casting your ballot on June 5th.

If you’ll be out of town on Election Day, you can request an absentee ballot or register and vote early at the municipal clerk’s office of your campus address from May 21st – June 1st.

Two things to keep in mind:

1. You do not need a photo ID to vote in the June 5th Election.
2. Where you were lived on May 8th determines where you need to vote.

Wisconsin law requires you to register and vote at the residence you’ve lived at 28 days before Election Day, June 5th. This may be your current campus address, even if you are leaving for the summer.*

Make sure you’re ready to cast your ballot no matter where your summer adventure takes you. Take the first step, check your registration status here and then visit OwnYourVoteWI.com/Students for the specific voting information you need.

With so many issues impacting young Americans: healthcare, student loans, equal rights, a fair shot at success entering the working world – take ownership of the causes that matter to you, get involved and own your vote!

*If you are leaving the state of Wisconsin, consult the Government Accountability Board about your ability to cast a ballot.

It was a beautiful weekend, with hundreds of Wisconsin volunteers talking to people in their community. Special Registration Deputies are in your neighborhood registering voters from now through May 16th. Make sure you're ready to #OwnYourVote on June 5th — find a registration event happening in your community.

Today we honor our mothers. To celebrate these amazing women, our Regional Field Director Staci shared her story about her decision to become an organizer and the memories she's shared with her family.

In 2004, I was watching the Democratic Convention (more out of obligation than interest) with newspaper in hand. Suddenly, this man started speaking to my heart. My paper came down slowly, and my husband and I hung on every word of then-Senator Obama’s speech. My husband turned to me and said:

We just saw the first African-American President of the United States.

We hung on his every word again when he announced his run for the Presidency and that January night in 2008 when he won Iowa. That was when I started volunteering - a little here and there when I could. Then in February, Barack Obama came to Wisconsin and everything changed.

My husband and I took my daughter, Caitlin, to see Senator Obama speak to a crowd of thousands in Madison. The next day I pulled her out of school to hear him speak at a smaller event in Waukesha County. When he arrived, he took off his suit coat and rolled up his sleeves. He treated my very conservative neighbors with respect, and answered their questions honestly. In short, he did what I personally had never seen another political candidate do successfully: He spoke to us like we were adults. As I walked out of the event, I told the organizers:

I'm all in and will do everything I can to help this man win.

Soon after, I was helping run a staging location for the Wisconsin Primary. In June, I was asked to be a Neighborhood Team Leader. Before you knew it, I was volunteering fourteen-hour days in Milwaukee to get out the vote. When it came to it, quitting my job teaching English to become an organizer seemed like the logical next step. Today I’m organizing in Madison, Wisconsin, coaching volunteers on how to build a team and move their neighborhood to action.

That day in Waukesha, my daughter got to shake the hand of the future President of the United States. In November of 2008, she cast the first vote of her life for Barack Obama.

A few months later I had an opportunity to meet President Obama. There are so many things I could have said. There are so many things the President has done to help American women and families, but all I could do was thank both him and the First Lady for being role models a mother could be proud to have her daughter look up to.

Make sure to celebrate the mothers in your life today. Visit Women for Obama to learn more about what the President's accomplishments for women.

By day, Deana is a 5th grade teacher and volleyball coach. When school is over and volleyball practice lets out, she’s also a busy student pursuing her master's degree in education. Each day she gets the opportunity to help students learn valuable lessons and help them achieve their goals. After four years of teaching classrooms in Sun Prairie, WI, Deana knows that her students’ futures are one of the many things at stake in this election.

Deanna wanted to go back to school to become a better teacher. However, since she started teaching, cut wages, pay freezes and student loans have left her with less than she had four years ago.

“I take classes to be a better educator. I never expected it to be free, but when compared to equally educated professionals – we haven't kept pace.”

In recent weeks, President Obama has emphasized the need for affordable loans for college students. If the Congress continues to sit at a standstill, rates will double from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1st.

Across Wisconsin, we know the value of a quality education. We’ve also felt the impact of education cuts – class sizes have grown and resources are slashed for the programs students need. Each day teachers and students like Deana know the impact they have on their future.

“I teach my kids to have a voice. Cuts to education funding affect the kids more than anyone else, so we needed to speak up for them.”

For an educator, student and community leader like Deana, it’s important that her representatives continue to fight to move our country forward so that everyone has an opportunity to pursue their dreams. “I support Barack Obama because he is student-centered and wants to close the achievement gap.”

President Obama knows that higher education can’t be a luxury – it's something that every American should be able to afford. Teachers and students like Deana lead by example in their community, demonstrating why these reforms are needed for the future.

Stand with President Obama by joining OFA-WI volunteers to share the President’s message with those in your community.

'Own Your Vote' in the upcoming election on June 5th by taking action!

Click here to join other volunteers or find an event in your neighborhood to make sure your registration is up to date.