Connecticut 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 Connecticut in Storrs on Tuesday to mark “National Voter Registration Day” in an effort to get more young people civically engaged.
“Young people can make a huge difference in Connecticut, provided they make their voice heard by voting,” Lt. Gov. Susan 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.”
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’s election.
Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas touted the state’s Next Gen Elections program, 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.
“Not only are there poll worker shortages around the nation, and here in Connecticut. But, more and more, registrars of voters are retiring,” Thomas said. “And through the program, 40 students from 11 colleges and universities across Connecticut will learn firsthand all the details around how our elections work.”
Coming soon: Early voting on UConn campus
There’s another way some college students in Connecticut can get involved in the fall elections: by voting early on campus.
Early voting will be available this fall on UConn’s flagship campus.
With approval from the state of Connecticut, the town of Mansfield is providing a second location on the UConn campus. The polling place — in the campus bookstore — 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 Connecticut are offering early voting at a single location.)
UConn student body president Lorien Touponse called the on-campus location “empowering.”
“Our 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, ‘Oh, I have this assignment or this paper or this lab I have to finish, and now I can't vote,’” Touponse said.
This year marks the first time early voting is being offered in Connecticut. 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 Connecticut Public’s voter guide to the 2024 election.
