Election Day is Tuesday, November 5th and we write to encourage you to participate in this important democratic process.  We know that you are likely thinking about issues such as the economy and inflation, immigration, jobs, climate change, reproductive rights, Supreme Court appointments, health care, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, student debt, crime, foreign policy, and more. We encourage you to think about the type of leadership you want in office and exercise your right to vote. Vote411 serves as a resource for you to understand who is on your ballot.

Vote411 invites you to make a voting plan before you participate in this presidential election.

• Learn About Your Early Voting Options
• Explore Your Day Of Voting Options
• Research Candidates
• Encourage Others to Make a Voting Plan

Why Vote? You might be thinking whether your vote matters.  Please consider that there have been elections where single votes determined the outcome. If you do not vote, others make decisions about the issues that are important to you.  Your vote is a valuable step in declaring to yourself and others what kind of society you want to live in. The right to vote was not always afforded to all Americans and many put their lives on the line to achieve voting rights.   In 1964, during Freedom Summer (a voter registration program aimed at overcoming unjust barriers that prevented Black Americans from voting), Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner were brutally murdered while leading those efforts in Mississippi. Goodman, Chaney, Schwerner, and all the others who put their lives on the line are a reason to vote.  Last spring, our two Andrew Goodman Student Ambassadors debuted an exhibit commemorating Freedom Summer that has since been hosted at Princeton University during the 2024 New Jersey Vote Summit. You can learn more about the exhibit here.

Ramapo College is an Andrew Goodman Vote Everywhere campus. Vote Everywhere supports Ramapo College student Ambassadors.  The Ambassadors have signed on to help their peers navigate the process of educating others about voting rights, getting out the vote, and becoming more democratically engaged through voting and other avenues. Our Ambassadors are hard at work to bring you events on topics such as learning more about the voting process and how to think about your voting plan.  Please look for Ambassador events in the Daily Digest and In the Loop and review the political education and engagement provided under the Power of Conversation series.

How to Vote The General Election is being conducted by using three voting options:

1. Vote-By-Mail Ballot

To use this option, your County Clerk’s office must receive your Vote-by-mail application by Tuesday, October 29th.  Or, you can bring a completed application to your County Clerk’s office by 3:00 pm on Monday, November 4th.

By Mail: You can mail your ballot via the United States Post Office. Ballots must be postmarked no later than 8:00 pm on Tuesday, November 5th and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before Monday, November 11th.

By Drop Box: Place your vote-by-mail ballot in one of your county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8:00 pm on Tuesday, November 5th.  Drop box locations can be found at the NJ Voter Information Portal.

By Board of Elections Office: Deliver the vote-by-mail ballot in person to your county’s Board of Elections Office by 8:00 pm on Tuesday, November 5th. Contact information can be found at the NJ Voter Information Portal

Please note, that if you apply for a vote-by-mail ballot and decide to vote in person, you must tell your poll worker and vote with a provisional ballot.

2. In-Person Early Voting (Saturday, October 26th to Sunday, November 3rd)

Every county provides registered voters with this option for the General Election. You can find a list of early voting locations at the New Jersey Voter Information Portal

3. At Your Polling Place on Election Day

Vote in person at your polling place from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5th.

In Consideration of Civic Engagement If you wish to see change in your community, voting is one of the first steps you can take to make a difference. As we saw through Freedom Summer, there are individuals who seek to restrict and make this civic process more difficult.  Voting suppression still occurs today, but you can demonstrate, with your ballot, that your opinion and choice matter.  In addition to voting, you can also engage in civic engagement through volunteerism.  Please think about the ways you wish to contribute to your community and beyond by giving back.  You can find community service opportunities listed in the Daily Digest, In the Loop, on Archway, and by contacting the Civic and Community Engagement Center (CCEC) at ccec@ramapo.edu.

You may wish to express what you care about and seek to understand the views of others.  Listen to each other.  By learning, thinking, speaking, and engaging freely, you are working toward a difference in the community. Ramapo College has a Student Dissent/Disruption of College Functions policy to support your right to raise issues. The College prides itself on offering opportunities for education, civil discourse, and creating a productive, healthy, and safe place for all to understand and contribute to dialogue about important social issues.

Upcoming Events On Tuesday, October 22nd, at 1:00 pm in the H-Wing auditorium, the Presidential Speaker Series will feature Retired Lieutenant General Mary A. Legere, Managing Director, Accenture Global Defense for a discussion on The Implications of Artificial Intelligence on Leadership and Democracy.  You can learn more about Mary Legere and register for the event by clicking here.

The election night watch party will be on Tuesday, November 5th, in Friends Hall from 5 pm to 11 pm. Stay tuned for an announcement about an Election Reflection program following Election Day.

From November 18th – 22nd, you are invited to join the CCEC’s observation of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

• Monday, November 18th from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm there will be a We Care Program Information Session and Open House in ASB 135.

• Tuesday, November 19th from 9:45 am to 2:30 pm, there will be a Service Opportunity where you can prepare and serve lunch at Eva’s Village. Transportation will be provided, but space is limited.

• Wednesday, November 20th, from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, you can participate in the annual Oxfam Hunger Banquet. The Oxfam Hunger Banquet is an interactive event that brings statistics about poverty to life. Guests randomly select tickets matching real people who are high-, middle-, or low-income earners, and receive accommodations matching their income. Throughout this interactive event, they will learn about poverty on a global scale and leave with a new perspective.

We hope that you are inspired to vote and think about the role you wish to take in civic engagement.   Voting is one of the best ways to declare what you value the most and we encourage you to make a commitment to yourself that you will vote in each and every election.  As you now have this relatively new civic responsibility to cast a ballot and share your opinion, we welcome you to find Ramapo College as a supportive place to help cultivate and harness your civic voice.