The “DEvote to Vote” National Voter Registration Day event — an annual nonpartisan effort to encourage voting and civic engagement — is planned for Tuesday, Sept. 17, on The Green.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., several registered student organizations from diverse perspectives and University departments will be available to provide students with information and opportunities to register to vote and get involved in a variety of civic and community-based programs. The event will include games, music, ice cream, popcorn, free T-shirts and other activities to encourage active student voter registration and participation.

“Voting is absolutely foundational to our democracy, and it is so important that everyone who is eligible to vote exercises their right to have their say in the upcoming elections,” said President Dennis Assanis. “Whatever our political opinions and ideologies, we should all be committed to voting and engaging in civil and respectful ways.”

The “DEvote to Vote” campaign is organized by UD’s nonpartisan Student Voting and Civic Engagement Committee, which was established in 2019 to encourage students to vote, engage in their communities and practice civil discourse through campus collaborations. Committee members represent all facets of the UD community, including faculty, staff and students. The committee also hosts events with politicians and policy practitioners and provides resources to make completing civic duties accessible.

At the event, student volunteers from Make It Count — an RSO focused on increasing voter registration and nonpartisan civic engagement at UD and throughout the state — will work together to increase voter registration and participation rates among Blue Hens via TurboVote. TurboVote is an online service that makes voting easy for collegiate communities by simplifying voter registration and education in one interface. All Blue Hens can use TurboVote to register to vote, change or check registration status, request absentee ballots, find polling locations and more. Those who are under age 18 can use the service to pledge to vote when they become eligible.

To register to vote, one must be at least age 18 by election day, be a citizen of the United States, have a license number and be a legal resident of the state where they are registered. International students and non-citizens are encouraged to take the Justice For All survey to provide insight on their civic participation in their home country.

The UD community can also use the 2024 Campus Civics Toolkit to prepare for the upcoming election, curate messaging and stay up to date on civic programming.