Vote: Make your voice heard

Student Life helps CU Denver students navigate elections through informative events, resource sharing, and promoting voter-friendly practices.

The 2020 presidential election engaged the largest and most diverse group of college students in U.S. history. The University of Colorado Denver received the 2021 GOLD Seal. More than 840 institutions enrolling close to nine million students participate in the ALL IN Challenge. The 2020 election cycle saw unprecedented voter registration and turnout among college students according to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), a research study of the Institute for Democracy in Higher Education (IDHE) at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. IDHE reported that 66 percent of college students voted in the 2020 election, a 14-point increase from 2016. Data provided by IDHE shows CU Denver’s voting rate increased by 8.5% to 77.7% in 2020. CU Denver students voted at a rate 11.7% higher than the national average for college students. 

There’s more to elections than the presidential race! Contrary to what you might see in the news, elections happen every year and they are your chance to weigh in on what is going on in your community! Here are just a few times during your college experience that you will be asked to vote:

• CU Denver Student Government Elections, are held every April.  Elections are open to ALL registered student fee-paying CU Denver students, regardless of citizenship or residency status. CU Denver SGA https://www.ucdenver.edu/student-life/student-government helps the university make decisions on your student life fee, advises on university and academic policy and champions issues facing the student body. Wish there were more concerts on campus or have an idea about improving the student experience? Bring it up to your SGA representatives!
• Municipal/Local Elections, every year, are open to individuals registered to vote within a particular city or county. Local elections help decide matters such as mayors, city council members, and local matters such as zoning regulations and local taxes. Frustrated with the conditions of the roads in your town or that a particular breed of dog is not allowed in your city? These are issues to take up with your local elected officials!
• State & Federal Elections, every two years, open to voters registered within that state. There are both state-wide representatives and senators as well as federal representatives and senators with various cycles of when elections will be held. These seats typically help drive overall statewide or federal policies, including funding for colleges and universities, civil infrastructure, and regulations. Are you worried about the impact of natural resource conservation or the funding levels of K-12 education? These are topics where your state and federal representatives have an impact, among many others.
• Presidential Elections, every 4 years, open to all registered voters. Presidential elections typically include ballot questions for state, federal, and local offices, as well as ballot measures for local and state matters, in addition to asking you who you want to be president of the United States.

Participation in local, state, and federal elections is an ongoing commitment and benefits when citizens are informed of their rights, the issues, and have access to nonpartisan elections information. Check out these links to help inform yourself and make the decisions that align with your values and priorities.

Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/  a digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Their goal is to inform people about politics by providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of government.

Campus Elections Engagement Project (CEEP) https://campuselect.org/  a national nonpartisan project that helps administrators, faculty, staff and student leaders at America’s colleges and universities engage students in federal, state and local elections, working to promote a more equitable and inclusive democracy, and to overcome the ever-changing barriers to voting faced by college students.

Colorado Sun https://coloradosun.com/category/news/politics/ a journalist owned, online publication covering issues across Colorado, including nonpartisan elections coverage.

Voter Registration, the most reliable place for voter registration information is from the Secretary of State office for the state you are curious about; for Colorado, check out https://www.sos.state.co.us/pubs/elections/ to learn about requirements, dates and deadlines, election security, and a wealth of other resources.

Where to Vote:  Students, staff, and faculty members can drop their ballots off at the permanent ballot box outside the Tivoli Student Union (outside Starbucks) or vote in the polling station located in the Multicultural Lounge on the 2nd floor of the Tivoli which is across from the entrance of Starbucks.

Out of State Students:  If you are registered in another state you can request your absentee ballot from your home state or you can register to vote in Colorado.  Deadlines may apply for out of state voter registration so visit vote.gov to learn more.