Dear students,
Today is National Voter Registration Day. In 2020, young voters cast their ballots in record numbers. Will you keep that momentum going for the 2022 midterms?
This fall, eligible voters will head to the polls to determine control of the U.S. Congress, as well as state and local offices across the country. It may be tempting to write off the midterms as an off-year election, but the results will shape the daily lives of our community members – both here in Durham and beyond.
Whether you care about climate change or inflation, immigration or reproductive health, these elections are your next opportunity to make your voice heard.
Now is the best time to make your plan to vote. The resources listed below will help you navigate each step of the process. Here’s what you need to know now:
- If you do nothing else, visit the Duke Votes website for all information about voting at Duke.
- As a Duke student, you are allowed to register to vote in either your home state or North Carolina. Duke Votes, a nonpartisan student organization, has compiled many resources for voting tailored to the Duke community, including a guide to registering via Duke’s TurboVote site. You can find that guide here.
- Voting early – by mail or in person – empowers you to vote when it works best with your schedule. As a student, you never know when a last-minute assignment will come up. Early voting lets you vote on your own time, and you still get an “I Voted” sticker.
- Early voting in North Carolina begins on October 20 and goes until November 5. Think of it as election season, not just Election Day.
- There are many free resources to help you find which candidates share your values. For example, BallotReady lets you enter your registration address, see who’s running for each office on your ballot, and learn about each candidate’s platform. A list of additional resources can be found below our signatures.
Not eligible to vote in the U.S.? The organizations listed in the “Get Involved” section below are great opportunities to engage with the election process, even if you can’t cast a ballot yourself. Scroll down to see where you can lend a hand.
The university encourages and urges all those eligible to register and exercise their right to vote. As a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, Duke University neither supports or opposes any particular candidate for political office.
Go Duke,
Mary Pat McMahon
Vice Provost of Student Affairs
Gary Bennett
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Lana Gesinsky (Class of 2023)
President, Duke Student Government
Brandon M. Le
President, Graduate & Professional Student Government
Jonah Perrin (Class of 2023)
Chair of Duke Votes
