In an election unlike any other in modern history, Northeastern Votes, a nonpartisan coalition of students, faculty, and staff, has been working hard to ensure that everyone who can vote on Nov. 3, does. And they’re making sure people don’t just cast a ballot every four years, but get involved in community politics every year.
“Voting is just the beginning,” says Hannah Nivar, a second-year political science student who leads Northeastern Votes’ communications efforts. “There are so many steps after voting you can take to engage with your community.”
Turnout among eligible student voters at Northeastern was slightly below the national average in 2012, and on par with the national average in 2016, according to data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement. Northeastern Votes hopes to beat those numbers this year, says co-chair Hilary Sullivan.
One change that may help? The university is working with the City of Boston to convert Matthews Arena into a polling place for Nov. 3.
“Students have long wanted a polling location on campus,” Sullivan says. Now, any students who are registered at the address of their dorm can vote at Matthews. The arena was transformed from an ice rink into a voting location Monday night.
Students living off campus and registered in the nearby Mission Hill or Roxbury neighborhoods (or anywhere else in the Commonwealth) should vote at their assigned locations on Tuesday, which can be found online or by calling the Massachusetts Secretary of State hotline at 1-800-462-VOTE.
