Drexel Celebrates National Voter Registration Day

Sept. 22 is National Voter Registration Day, and Drexel University would like to take this opportunity to encourage 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. Resources for registering online are provided below.

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.

In addition, students, faculty and professional staff who wish to become a poll worker in Philadelphia can apply here. 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.

Registration Deadlines & Websites

• Pennsylvania: Oct. 19; online registration and other information is available at votespa.com. You can also check the status of a mail-in ballot at the PA Voter Services site.
• New Jersey: Oct. 13; online registration and other information is available at voter.svrs.nj.gov/register.
• Delaware: Oct. 10; online registration and other information is available at elections.delaware.gov
• All states: Vote.org is a non-partisan website where you can find out if you are registered and how to register in your state, as well as polling locations. The U.S. Vote Foundation website makes it easy to find your state’s deadlines to register.

Drexel Resources

• Drexel Libraries’ comprehensive Drexel Votes resource page
• Office of Government and Community Relations’ Drexel Votes website
• FAQs for students and first-time voters
• Pennsylvania Voter Registration Forms are available in the Creese Student Center (32^nd and Chestnut streets) at the front desk. You must complete the form and return/mail it to your county board of elections office yourself.

Q&A and Poster Party for Students

For National Voter Registration Day, Drexel University’s student fellows with the Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) are hosting a virtual event on Sept. 22, from 7-9 p.m. Come get help registering to vote, learn how to get your friends registered, and have all of your voting-related questions answered. Participants can also join in making posters about why they vote and watching a movie together. To register for this event and get the Zoom link, please complete this form.

Also, CEEP and the Undergraduate Student Government Association will be holding voter “office hours” via Zoom every Tuesday from 11 a.m.–12 p.m., where at least one of the CEEP fellows and/or USGA representatives will be available for students to drop in and ask any questions they may have about voting. Click here for the Zoom link.

Make a Plan

In many places, voting procedures are a bit different this year due to COVID-19. Pennsylvania in particular passed new voting reforms in 2019 that have expanded the options by which Pennsylvanians can vote in every election. Be sure to research the options in your state for early voting, vote by mail, absentee ballots, and in-person voting, to determine which is the best option for you.

Make a plan now – and consider making a plan B in case your circumstances change. If you wish to vote by mail, you are encouraged to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot as soon as possible to ensure you receive it in time. Each state has different regulations around ballot drop-offs, so please check with your local and state governments.

Drexel offers benefit-eligible professional staff one hour of paid Civic Engagement Leave time for voting.

Thank you for being a voter!