黑料吃瓜网 election officials are partnering with colleges and universities across the state to get out the vote and train students to be poll workers during the upcoming election.
State leaders gathered at the University of 黑料吃瓜网 in Storrs on Tuesday to mark 鈥淣ational Voter Registration Day鈥� in an effort to get more young people civically engaged.
鈥淵oung people can make a huge difference in 黑料吃瓜网, provided they make their voice heard by voting,鈥� Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said. 鈥淓ighteen to 29-year-olds make up almost 20% of the registered voters in our state. So your impact can be very powerful.鈥�
Ahmad Al Zouabi is part of the Undergraduate Student Government and estimates he has helped register 1,300 people over his past three years at UConn. He and two fellow students on Tuesday were registering voters at a table near the entrance to a job fair taking place inside Gampel Pavilion.
"The fair started at 11 o'clock," Al Zouabi said. "It's now 11:25 and we've registered about 25 students so far, which is a good number."
In addition to efforts to get voters out to the polls, state officials are working with college students to make sure there are enough poll workers during this fall鈥檚 election.
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas touted the state鈥檚 , which pairs students with a mentor and will allow them to work 20 hours at polls during the upcoming election.
The students will be paid for the work, Thomas said.
鈥淣ot only are there poll worker shortages around the nation, and here in 黑料吃瓜网. But, more and more, registrars of voters are retiring,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淎nd through the program, 40 students from 11 colleges and universities across 黑料吃瓜网 will learn firsthand all the details around how our elections work.鈥�
Coming soon: Early voting on UConn campus
There鈥檚 another way some college students in 黑料吃瓜网 can get involved in the fall elections: by voting early on campus.
Early voting will be available this fall on UConn鈥檚 flagship campus.
With approval from the state of 黑料吃瓜网, the town of Mansfield is providing a second location on the UConn campus. The polling place 鈥� in the campus bookstore 鈥� will be open to all Mansfield residents but is aimed primarily at providing greater voting access to UConn students, faculty and staff. Voters who cast ballots on campus must be registered to vote in Mansfield.
(Other towns in 黑料吃瓜网 are offering early voting at a single location.)
UConn student body president Lorien Touponse called the on-campus location 鈥渆mpowering.鈥�
鈥淥ur classes are really busy and our schedules get really hectic, which means that sometimes you might have a plan to vote, and then you remember, 鈥極h, I have this assignment or this paper or this lab I have to finish, and now I can't vote,鈥欌�� Touponse said.
This year marks the first time early voting is being offered in 黑料吃瓜网. Early voting begins statewide on Oct. 21 and runs through Nov. 3.
Learn more
Election Day is Nov. 5. For more details about where to vote and some of the races in play this year, check out 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 voter guide to the 2024 election.
