Haritha Subramanian ’26 (CLAS, SFA) got her first lessons in the democratic process last year when she successfully ran for a spot on the Farmington Zoning Board of Appeals.
But until she participated in the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s Next Gen Elections program, a course that trains young people in the fine details of poll working, she said she had no idea how much went into bringing an election to fruition.
“To be fully honest, it’s so much more work than I initially thought,” she told a crowd of about 50 gathered Tuesday outside Gampel Pavilion to celebrate National Voter Registration Day.
Not only does each polling place need to have a flag visible, but the tables need to be arranged in a certain way, and poll workers need to stand 3 feet from the tabulation machine that reads each ballot, she said. There even are restrictions on who can help voters that might have a problem or need assistance.
“Everything is so prescribed,” she said.
While those working the polls on Election Day need to understand those intricacies, most people do not. For the general public, participating in democracy is actually pretty easy, Subramanian and others who spoke at the rally stressed – just register to vote, then show up to do so.
“We’re here to recognize National Voter Registration Day, a day that not only elevates the importance of registering to vote and voting in every election, but it also serves as a reminder that our democracy thrives when everyone takes an active role,” Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said.
Twenty college and university campuses across the state held rallies and voter registration drives to mark the day, Thomas said, including at UConn where registration efforts continued into the afternoon at the 2024 Fall Career Fair.
“Our office has chosen to focus its efforts today on college students because they are often at a time in their lives where they’re just starting to [develop] their unique voice [and figure] out how they can make that voice heard,” Thomas said.
Within only a few minutes of the opening of the Career Fair, almost two dozen students had filled out applications to get their names on the rolls.
“Here at UConn, we celebrate our students being active and civically engaged in the political process and champion them using their right to shape our communities,” Tadarrayl Starke, vice provost for student success, said. “Voting is a fundamental right and responsibility and is one of the most powerful ways to affect change. Voting gives you the opportunity to influence what and how you want to see and have things done within our community.”
An example of that, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz noted, happened recently when voters across Connecticut agreed to change the state constitution and officials shepherded through a plan for early voting, which is happening for the first time this year.
So, even though there are 48 days until Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, the customary day when voters across the country head to the polls to log their choices, there are only 33 days until early voting begins on Monday, Oct. 21. It extends through Nov. 3.
“Young people can make a huge difference in Connecticut, provided they make their voice heard by voting,” Bysiewicz said. “Eighteen- to 29-year-olds make up almost 20% of the registered voters in our state, so your impact can be very powerful. There are so many important issues at stake, so now is your opportunity to make your voice heard.”
The ballot this year includes choices for president, Congress, and state legislature, along with a smattering of local races that differ between municipalities.
Bysiewicz thanked the efforts of local officials who agreed to open a second early voting location in Mansfield at the UConn Bookstore, giving students who register as voters in Mansfield an opportunity to participate in early voting.
“Why wait ‘til Nov. 5 when you can just walk right down to the Bookstore and get that important vote cast,” she said. “Cross it off the list. Make your voice heard. Show your power by voting.”
During a question-and-answer session following the rally, Thomas, Bysiewicz, and others detailed some specific voting information:
• Those who are 18 or older or will be 18 before Election Day can register to vote online by visiting myvote.ct.gov/register
• College students living on campus can either register to vote in their hometown or in the town in which their school resides. They will vote in the town where they’re registered. This means, only students who are registered in Mansfield can vote in Mansfield, including during early voting at the Bookstore. Those who want to vote in their hometowns, which may have local races or referenda questions on the ballot, need to register in their hometown.
• If a student already is registered to vote in their hometown and wants to register in Mansfield, they can change their address at myvote.ct.gov/register
• Early voting will be open Oct. 21 to Nov. 3 at various locations in each Connecticut municipality, including at the UConn Bookstore next to Gampel Pavilion. That includes two Saturdays and two Sundays. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Oct. 29 and 31 when hours are extended 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 18, however, during the early voting period and on Election Day, residents still can register to vote.
• The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) will not be providing rides to the polls on Election Day, and instead is focusing efforts on getting students registered to vote in Mansfield and voting at the Bookstore during early voting.
• In Connecticut, those who are interested in working at the polls on Election Day need to be at least 16 years old and are not required to work in their hometown or where they are registered to vote. Poll worker positions are paid. Information can be found here.
“Voting is one of the most important things that you can do as part of our democratic society,” USG President Lorien Touponse ’25 (CLAS) said during the rally. “USG … is all about empowering students, so we’re feeling really proud of the effort here today.”
Starke noted he grew up knowing that when his mother registered to vote, it was considered an act of defiance, and when she walked a mile each way to cast her vote, she was sending a message.
“Your vote is one of the ways to influence how we want our government to operate for and with us,” Starke said. “Voting is your voice to proclaim the direction in which you want all levels of government to move, from national offices to offices and issues here in your local community.”
The National Voter Registration Day rally at UConn was sponsored by the Connecticut Office of the Secretary of the State, the Office of the Provost, the Office of Outreach & Engagement, the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills, the Nancy. A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work, the Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs, Democracy & Dialogue Initiative, Department of Student Activities, Undergraduate Student Government, and Graduate Student Senate.
