Dear students, faculty and staff
As we approach Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024, I am reminded that great and passionately public universities like Michigan State play a crucial role in strengthening democracy. We do so through robust classroom discussions, where students learn to engage in dialogue across differences. We do so by offering expertise that elevates public discourse. And fundamentally, as members of an institution committed to preparing engaged citizen leaders, we can exercise the power of our vote.
Your vote is your voice, and I encourage all eligible students, staff and faculty to cast your ballot and make your voice heard this election season. Below I offer information on how you can do so, including participating in Michigan’s new early voting period. For our international community and others ineligible to vote in this election, I encourage you to learn more about the election process.
- Students, faculty and staff (from Michigan or out of state) who are eligible to vote can find information on how to register, make a plan and stay informed at MSUvote as well as this voter page on MSUToday.
- From now until Sunday, Nov. 3, WKAR Public Media at MSU has partnered with the East Lansing City Clerk’s Office to host an Early Voting Center in Studio B (Room 195-A) in the Communication Arts and Sciences Building at 404 Wilson Rd. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and East Lansing residents, including students in residence halls, can register and vote there.
- A second Early Voting Center will be held in the Banquet Room of the East Lansing Hannah Community Center at 819 Abbot Rd. It will open on Saturday, Oct. 26 and operate through Sunday, Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
- On Oct. 31, from noon to 4 p.m., all Spartans can decorate a pumpkin for the “Voting Isn’t Scary” event outside of the Early Voting Center at WKAR. East Lansing residents can also register and vote at the center.
- On Election Day, WKAR Studio B at the Communication Arts and Sciences Building will be a voting center for those who reside in East Lansing and are not registered to vote. East Lansing will also have its normal precincts operating.
- For students, faculty and staff who reside outside of East Lansing, please make sure you are registered in your voting jurisdiction. If you need to check your registration status, you can do so on the Michigan Voter Information Center website. Online registration closed on Oct. 21, but from now through Election Day, you can register to vote in-person at your local clerk’s office with proof of residency.
Thank you to all our campus partners who have worked so hard to promote voter education and registration. For Spartans returning from fall break, I hope you were able to take some time for rest and relaxation. Now let’s have a great rest of the semester and be sure to get registered and make a voting plan.
Go Green! Go White! Go Vote!
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D.
(pronounced GUS-ka-wits)
President
Professor, Department of Kinesiology