Your vote is your voice, and every eligible member of the Emory community is encouraged to make theirs count in the 2020 general election, no matter where they are learning and working this semester.
To help meet that goal, Emory will celebrate National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, Sept. 22, with a virtual voter registration event designed to share information and resources that can help voters find their own path to the polls.
Students living on Emory’s Atlanta and Oxford College campuses and those learning remotely are encouraged to join faculty, staff and alumni for the first-of-its-kind online program, which can be accessed via Zoom.
The event will run from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., opening with remarks by Emory President Gregory L. Fenves about the importance of voting and civic engagement. The presentation will also feature a series of speakers, panelists and videos intended to help answer questions, promote voter registration and pinpoint handy resources.
Following the registration celebration, participants may also connect with trained peer-to-peer student voting ambassadors for help with more specific questions or explore other voting-related opportunities.
This month’s registration event is sponsored by the Emory Votes Initiative (EVI), which seeks to promote civic engagement across the Emory community by providing nonpartisan voter information and support for voter turnout, says James Roland, senior director for the Center for Civic and Community Engagement.
Sponsored by Emory Campus Life, the EVI focuses on increasing engagement by demystifying the voting process, providing access to online tools and resources and identifying opportunities to get involved, whether joining in virtual debate watch parties and student groups or learning more about candidates and issues, Roland says.
“We know that young adults between the ages of 18 to 29 vote at the lowest rate of any age group, so there is room to improve when it comes to getting students registered and turning out to vote, ” he explains.
And given the disruptions of COVID-19, “we just want to make sure that all eligible voters are registered and have what they need to participate in this important democratic process, whether they plan to vote in person or through absentee or mail-in ballots,” he says.
On the EVI website, visitors can find an assortment of materials “that benefit everyone in the Emory community — students, faculty, staff and alumni,” Roland adds. “It’s really an opportunity for anyone who wants to vote.”
Leading up to the Nov. 3 election, EVI will join other campus groups to promote a series of virtual events and pre-election activities for the Emory community. For more information and an updated calendar, visit here.