Popsugar: During the 2012 presidential election, I was a college student juggling a minimum-wage job, two internships, and a 20-unit academic load. I would leave my house around 4:30 a.m. (to work at a coffee shop) and arrive home past 8 p.m. with only 15-minute breaks between each obligation. I didn’t have a car, which made it impossible to get anywhere in town quickly. It was my first major election as a legal voter, and I was heartbroken; how would I possibly find the time to visit my local polling place and cast my vote? Would it be better to skip my mandatory literature workshop, or ditch my viticulture and enology lab?

But luckily for me, my dad — a pilot who is often busy flying internationally on Voting Day — informed me about California’s vote-by-mail system in time for me to register. I was able to exercise my right as an American without losing class points . . . or getting into a bicycle accident as I rushed to vote at the local library after work.

This year, I cast my primary election vote before many of my peers even registered. I’m a huge advocate of voting by mail, and since I live in a state that allows voters to register for an absentee ballot without stating a reason, I regularly encourage my friends to explore their options as well.  Read more.