New online tool helps Tufts community register to vote and learn more about elections
Tufts is making it is easy for students, faculty and staff to register to vote and stay informed about upcoming elections no matter where they live, thanks to the free online tool TurboVote.
TurboVote’s launch at the university comes as students on the Medford/Somerville campus are holding voter registration drives just ahead of the Massachusetts primary on Super Tuesday, March 1. TurboVote, developed by the nonpartisan group Democracy Works and made available to the Tufts community through Tisch College, allows participants to register either in Massachusetts or, if they have permanent residency outside the commonwealth, in their home state.
For Massachusetts residents, time is of the essence: Wednesday, Feb. 10, is the deadline to register for the primaries. For those registering out of state, TurboVote has options for online and mail-in registration.
TurboVote is a component of the larger effort JumboVote 2016, a university-wide initiative to increase student participation in the upcoming presidential election by lowering barriers to voter registration, increasing voter education and encouraging political learning and engagement. The effort is spearheaded by Tisch College and the Office of the Provost.
For those already registered, TurboVote has other benefits, such as text and email alerts about relevant upcoming local and national elections, including primaries.
Students on the Medford/Somerville campus interested in learning more about JumboVote 2016 are invited to a kick-off meeting on Monday, Feb. 29, at noon in the Raab Room of Lincoln-Filene Hall; pizza will be provided. A similar meeting will be held on the Grafton Campus on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at noon in the Kohnstamm Conference Room, and meetings on the Boston campus will be scheduled soon.
Laura Ferguson can be reached at laura.ferguson@tufts.edu.
