Campus & Community

Student Association Offers Voting Resources to Increase Awareness

Wednesday, October 23, 2024, By John Boccacino

In New York state, the deadline for registering to vote in the upcoming local, state and presidential elections is Saturday, Oct. 26.

Knowing that students have questions about the voting process, and hoping to improve awareness and engagement around voting, the University’s Student Association (SA) has put together a 50-state voter registration guide [PDF] that outlines the specific deadlines and requirements for students.

Included in the “’Cuse Otto Vote” guide is information about the following:

  • how to register to vote and when your state’s voter registration deadline is
  • whether you need to request an absentee ballot and the requirements you must meet to be eligible
  • how to get your ballot sent to campus and information on changing your mailing address and whether you should list your campus mailing address
  • postmark and absentee ballot return deadlines for every state and which states offer online ballot tracking
  • how to cast your ballot on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, if you plan on voting in Syracuse
A woman smiles while posing for a headshot.

María Quiñones Rios

“It’s important that we acknowledge that voting is a right and we should all exercise that right,” says María Quiñones Rios ’25, SA’s communications director who is studying public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

“This was about making sure our students have all the information they need to make sure they can vote in the upcoming elections, and that they know their vote will count,” Rios says. “We see a lot of young people be disillusioned with politics in the United States and it’s really important to let students know that they do have a voice and that their voice is their vote.”

Additionally, SA has collaborated with the New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) to ensure current students have the proper access to participate in the upcoming elections. NYPIRG has been conducting tabling in the Schine Student Center encouraging students to register to vote.

The SA is the official student governing and advocacy body for the nearly 16,000 Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry undergraduates.

Students in New York with additional questions about the voter registration process can visit the New York State Board of Elections website.