Drexel University encourages all eligible students, faculty and professional staff to register to vote and verify their registration status to ensure they are able to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3 general election. The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Monday, Oct. 19. You can register online and find other information related to voting in Pennsylvania at votespa.com. Pennsylvania Voter Registration Forms are also available in the Creese Student Center (32nd and Chestnut streets) at the front desk. If you pick up a form, however, you must complete the form and return/mail it to your county board of elections office yourself as soon as possible.
In addition, the City of Philadelphia has opened several satellite election offices, open seven days a week, where you can register to vote in person. At these satellite offices, you can also drop off a completed mail-in ballot, or, if you haven’t already, request a mail-in ballot, receive it, vote, and then return it all at the same location. For more information, including the locations and hours of these satellite offices, see this press release from the Office of the Mayor and Office of the City Commissioners.
“Countdown to Vote” Speaker Series
The Drexel Libraries is launching Countdown to Vote, an educational, non-partisan webinar series on voting and elections. Webinars will focus on general voting and election issues, as well as issues specific to the 2020 Presidential Elections, such as at-home voting during COVID-19. All Countdown to Vote events are free and open to all members of the Drexel community and the general public. Speakers include Drexel Professors of History & Politics William Rosenberg and Jack Santucci, and DePaul University Professor Emeritus of Political Science Michael Mezey, with more to be announced. The first three scheduled events are:
- Voting Outside the Polling Place: Vote-by-Mail, Absentee Voting & Other “Vote-at-Home” Options, Oct. 13, 3:30–4 p.m. Register to attend
- The Electoral College and the 2020 Election, Oct. 22, 11–11:30 a.m. Register to attend
- Breaking Polarization: The Promise and Perils of Election Reform, Oct. 27, 11–11:30 a.m.>Register to attend
Absentee/Mail-in Ballots
For students, faculty and professional staff who will be physically absent from Philadelphia County on Nov. 3, you can vote by requesting an absentee ballot by Oct. 27. It is in your best interest to request and submit an absentee ballot as soon as possible. For more information on the absentee ballot application and requirements, please visit the Philadelphia City Commissioners’ website at: philadelphiavotes.com/en/voters/mail-in-and-absentee-ballots.
Early Closing and Civic Engagement Opportunities
On Nov. 3 — Election Day — the University will close at 2 p.m. to allow time for the Drexel community to vote. All faculty teaching courses that day are asked to please plan to teach asynchronously, if possible, and provide flexibility and support for students who may be working the polls.
Students, faculty and professional staff members who wish to become a poll worker in Philadelphia can apply at philadelphiavotes.com/en/election-board-officials/pollworker. Drexel professional staff can use Civic Engagement Leave time to be a non-partisan poll worker on Election Day. Follow the “independent civic engagement activity” process on the Dragon Volunteers site.
Drexel Votes Resources
- Office of Government and Community Relations’ Drexel Votes website
- Drexel Votes Event Calendar
- Drexel Libraries’ comprehensive Drexel Votes resource page
- FAQs for students and first-time voters
- Contact: drexelvotes@drexel.edu
Thank you for being a voter!