How to Vote at Tufts (and Just About Anywhere)

For college students who are already under pressure, voting can feel like “just another overwhelming thing,” said Seona Maskara, A26, a co-chair of JumboVote, the student-run, nonpartisan voter engagement group. 

This election season at Tufts, Maskara said the goal is “to make voting and civic engagement feel less like a chore” and more like an accessible and exciting way for students to make a difference and weigh in on the issues they care about.  

For months, an election coalition made up of students and staff from across the university and organized by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life and the Office of Student Life has been not only gearing up to get out the vote but helping clear the most common obstacles that college students face when voting. Everyone from JumboVote volunteers to members of the Tufts Mail Services team has contributed to the effort, which has resulted in how-to guides, online tools, and fun events with space for conversations.

The questions and answers below, based on info compiled by JumboVote, can walk you through the voting process. The focus is on students, but many of the links below connect to resources that any voter can use.  

If you need voting help, contact @jumbovote on Instagram or send an email to jumbovote@tufts.edu. You can also stop by the Barnum Hall lobby on the Medford campus any Wednesday from 12 to 1 p.m., when volunteers will be available to answer many of your voting questions. 

Are you registered? 

Tufts has paired up with TurboVote, a nonprofit company, to offer a non-partisan, online platform that is a one-stop shop for many voting needs. You don’t need to be a student or even have a Tufts affiliation to use it. Through TurboVote, you can see if you’re registered, register (if you’re not already), request a mail-in ballot, and sign up for free customized text alerts that will remind you of important voting deadlines. It will even give you an overview of what will be on your ballot, including brief explanations of ballot questions.   

Do you plan to vote as a Massachusetts resident? Or as a resident of your home state? 

You can choose either, but not both. How to decide? If you are more invested in community issues back home, if your state or district will have competitive elections, or if you’re from a swing state, you may want to stay on your state’s voter rolls. Think about convenience, too: Would registering locally mean your polling place is nearby? Is mail-in voting easy for your home state? All else being equal, pick the option that means you’ll be more likely to vote.

Tisch College’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) ranks the states and districts where the votes of young people are most likely to shape presidential, Senate, and House races in November. According to CIRCLE’s Youth Electoral Significance Index, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania are the top three states where youth have the potential of affecting the presidential race, while young voters are best poised to influence the Senate race outcomes in Montana, Ohio, and Michigan. 

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JumboVote volunteers were on hand to answer questions on National Voter Registration Day, September 16. Photo: Abigail Adgate

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JumboVote volunteers were on hand to answer questions on National Voter Registration Day, September 16. Photo: Abigail Adgate

Are you voting by mail? 

If so, you’ll need to request an absentee or mail-in ballot. TurboVote can guide you on how to request one from your home county and tell you the deadline for applying for one. (In Massachusetts, that would be October 29.) You can also consult your secretary of state’s office; many have excellent resources available online. 

JumboVote has a refresher on how to give your campus mailing address so that your ballot reaches you at Tufts.  

Voting by mail became more common during the pandemic, which prompted Tufts to take steps to ensure students receive their elections-related mail promptly. Mail Services, JumboVote, and Tisch College worked together to come up with a plan that identifies and gives priority to voting materials when they arrive on campus. Now students receive an email when they have a ballot or the like waiting for them in the mailroom, urging them to collect it.   

“We have taken a close look at how we are processing elections mail to make sure that students get notified to pick up materials in a timely manner,” said Jennifer McAndrew, the senior director of communications and planning for Tisch College.  

As for how to return your ballot, rules can vary by state. Ten states require the signature of a witness. Four others—Missouri, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and South Dakota—require absentee ballots be notarized before they are mailed in. JumboVote has partnered with notaries to help you get any necessary form notarized for free. Check JumboVote’s Instagram for upcoming dates or email daniela.sanchez@tufts.edu. 

Check the absentee ballot return deadlines in your state to know when you must return it. (TurboVote can remind you.)  

Are you voting in person? 

If you’ve registered to vote as a Massachusetts resident using your campus address, you need to go to the polling place assigned to your residence hall. If you are registered at an off-campus address, check this site for your polling place.  

In prior elections, JumboVote volunteers worked as greeters outside some polling places where Tufts students most often vote, like the Gantcher Center, to make sure students were in the right location. They’ll be doing that again this November 5.  

But to save time, it’s a good idea to double check online where you are registered before you head out to the polls: If you’ve moved residence halls or apartments since you registered, but you haven’t updated your address with the state, you might not be assigned to the same voting place as your roommate. 

Not sure whether you even want to vote? 

Asked how she would encourage someone who was otherwise disinclined to vote, Remy Bernatavicius, A26, a JumboVote co-chair, said she wouldn’t turn to the old stand-by of “It’s your civic duty.” 

“That’s just lecturing,” she said. Instead, she would say: “Let’s talk about some of the policy positions you might have, or things that you want to see in your community, your nation. What does that mean to you? This is why voting really matters, because this is on the line.” 

In a CIRCLE survey of young people and their issue priorities, 53% chose the cost of living/inflation among their three top issues, followed by jobs that pay a living wage (28%), addressing climate change, and gun violence prevention (both 26%). 

“We know that college students have issues they care about,” Maskara said. “We know that if a student votes in the first election after they turn 18, they’re much more likely to keep voting.”  

Dayna Cunningham, dean of Tisch College, said that there is a rich and deep civic tradition at Tufts. “Voting is one important piece of that,” she said. “It is a vital way for each of us to participate in a robust and inclusive democracy.” 

And, Cunningham continued, there are many ways to get involved this election season beyond casting a ballot: “Get engaged with JumboVote and other student organizations, explore Tisch College’s election-year programming, discuss issues and candidates with your peers, and take advantage of the many opportunities to be engaged in communities both on and off campus.”