Drexel students plan for Election Day

Election day is November 5th. Do you have a voting plan? Drexel University students will have the day off to give them plenty of time to vote if you haven’t already. The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania passed on October 21, but if you are registered, it is important to actually vote.

Drexel Undergraduate Student Government Association (USGA) along with several voter protection organizations have conducted several tabulation events to help students register, find out their voter registration status, learn how to vote by mail, or determine what identification they can bring to vote, and Remind students that they will not have classes on November 5th to give them enough time to vote.

“I feel like I’m seeing a lot more people registered to vote this year than in past years.” USGA Civic Engagement Vice Chair Sienna Olivieri, political science ’25, said. “Because we are in a swing state, every ad you see seems to be about the election, and every day I saw so many tables from so many nonprofits asking people if they were registered to vote. I feel like people are just ready to vote and get it over with.”

In addition to the USGA, Drexel Libraries And Voices of Drexel have published frequently asked questions and guides to help Dragons learn how to make their voices heard this Election Day. Go ahead and do your civic duty!

Vote

Time is almost up to apply for a postal vote; Applications must be received by your county elections office by 5:00 pm on October 29th. You can apply by mail, online, or in person at the Board of Elections. Mail-in ballots must be received—not just postmarked—by 8:00 pm on November 5 at your county Board of Elections office (mail-in ballots cannot be returned to your polling place). You can also request an absentee ballot, but must provide a reason for voting absentee (for example, if you know you will be out of town on Election Day).

If you have not voted by mail before Election Day, you will have to go to your local polling station and enter the booth any time between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. You will need to bring some form of identification with you, which could be your voter registration card, Pennsylvania driver’s license, passport, bank statement, salary, or even your DragonCard, among others. If you live in one of Drexel’s residence halls, you will vote at the Drexel Recreation Center at 3301 Market St.; if you live elsewhere, check where you need to go.

“We help a lot of people find their polling place because if they’ve moved, it’s likely that it has changed,” said USGA Civic Engagement Chair Victoria Rodriguez Villarreal, public health major ’25. “They might now have to go to the Penn State campus instead of the (Rec Center), so a lot of students were confused.”

Once you’re in the booth, it’s time to vote. This is not a test, so you can take the manual with you or read it from your phone if you want to remember what choices you made.

You’ll see three federal races – President, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives – and five state races – Attorney General, Auditor General, Treasurer, and State Senate and House of Representatives. If you want to know more about who you want to vote for, Committee of Seventy is a nonpartisan organization that shares information about candidates’ backgrounds and positions and allows you to create a ballot.

Campus participation

In case you haven’t heard, Drexel students will have the day off, although the campus will still be open. The USGA encourages students to make time to vote, whether they are registered in Philadelphia or taking a day trip to their hometown to vote.

“It’s also confusing for some students,” Olivieri said. “Offices will be open, but there will be no classes. Drexel Votes and the USGA worked very hard to make it a day free of activities.”

For her part, Olivieri plans to get to the polling station early and remind friends to vote. The USGA will also be participating in several events during Election Week, both before and after Nov. 5, one of which will include donuts.

They will partner with the Drexel chapter on November 4th. Civic influencers For “Donut day, forget to vote” and will hand out donuts along with any latest information about polling places or the holiday. Just because students are registered doesn’t mean the work is done, and a donut is always a good incentive to get the message across.

On November 7, the USGA will also partner with the Writers Room to host the “CThe Real Thing: Make Your Voice Heard” to give students the opportunity to share and gather their thoughts about the election. As an international student, Rodriguez Villarreal is interested in making her voice heard, even if she is not eligible to vote.

“We are still Drexel students and we still live here, so how can we express the issues that concern us?” Rodriguez Villarreal stated this.