Hello, again! It’s been awhile. Summer 2024 has officially come to a close and it’s time to lean into the Fall 2024 term (at least for me). Rather than kick off the new academic year with a post about getting organized, setting goals, or managing job market stuff (all important things), I thought it would be helpful to discuss civic engagement. We’re in a big election year in the U.S. and it’s more important than ever to make your voice heard. Whether you can vote in the U.S. or not, this post is for you. But first, a special thank you to my collaborator on this post, Dr. Tissyana Camacho, who has inspired me to be more civically engaged.

A note about the information in this post: The information and recommendations that follow reflect Tissyana’s and my experiences as voters in the United States. Although the general recommendations may apply to those eligible to vote in other countries, we cannot be sure. If you are someone who votes in elections outside of the U.S., please take time to understand the processes in place to ensure that your voice is heard and that your ballot can be cast.

FOR THOSE ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE U.S. ELECTION

Most voters in the U.S. are not consistent voters. A 2023 report from the Pew Research Center indicates that only 37% of voters eligible to vote in the 2018, 2020, and 2020 elections actually did. At the same time, these elections had three of the highest voter turnouts among U.S. elections. In fact, as reported by Pew, “About two-thirds (66%) of the voting-eligible population turned out for the 2020 presidential election – the highest rate for any national election since 1900” (Hartig et al., 2023).

Here’s how you can do your part to boost turnout during the 2024 election:

Make sure you are registered to vote. Confirm your voter registration status by following the steps provided at this link. After you confirm your voter registration status, encourage your loved ones to confirm their registration status as well. If you (or your loved ones) are not yet registered to vote (or need to re-register), check the voter registration deadline for your state. Fun fact: Nearly half of the states in the U.S. allow same-day voter registration! 

Consider volunteering as a poll worker. Many poll workers are stipended volunteers, meaning they receive payment for their service. Responsibilities vary by county but may include setting up the polling place, signing in voters, issuing ballots, and closing the polling place. Although stipends are a key motivation for volunteering (Barsky, 2024; Clark & James, 2023), intrinsic factors like a sense of community service and civic duty also play an important role (Barsky, 2024; Burden & Stein, 2024).

Read more about Tissyana’s experience as a poll worker below: 

During my final year of grad school, I was isolated in Baltimore, away from the University of Michigan. Feeling lonely, I saw ads for poll workers and signed up (and research shows that poll workers are hard to recruit), not fully knowing what to expect. It was both fulfilling and exhausting, and I’ve volunteered in almost every election since. Now, I volunteer for several reasons:

• Elections are hard work: After experiencing the effort behind elections, I’m committed to helping out whenever I can. I firmly believe everyone who is eligible should work an election at least once to appreciate the process.

• Community investment: Working at a local polling place connects me with my neighbors, and voters often express gratitude, which makes it a rewarding experience. Indeed, the positive experience of being treated well by voters is a reason poll workers return for future elections (Burden & Stein, 2024).

• Poll worker shortage: Recruitment and retention of poll workers are perpetual issues (Barsky, 2024; Burden & Stein, 2024). Knowing this, I not only volunteer but also encourage others to do the same. [Inspired by Tissyana, I will be volunteering at my local polling location on Election Day!] 

FOR THOSE EAGER TO SUPPORT THE U.S. ELECTION (whether or not you’re eligible to vote)

Being a poll worker is just one way to get involved in U.S. elections. There are many ways to get involved, particularly through existing organizations. Below are some non-partisan organizations for volunteering:

• Election Protection

• League of Women Voters

• Rock the Vote

• Vote Forward (Note: this organization has non-partisan and partisan campaigns)

• When We All Vote

Through these organizations (and others), you can get involved in the political process and encourage U.S. citizens to vote by: 

• Writing letters (Tissyana and I are together writing hundreds of letters to voters in swing states!)

• Door-to-door canvassing

• Phone banking 

• Sending text messages

• Donating

• Organizing a carpool 

• Asking your social network when and how they’re going to vote (i.e., what day and which polling location); by leveraging the power of precommitment, you can increase the odds that those in your network who can vote will indeed vote!

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO SOMETHING

“Democracy is not a spectator sport.” This quote is often attributed to Lotte E. Scharfman, a refugee who escaped Austria with her family during World War II. Scharfman, acutely aware of the perils of fascism, became an ardent defender of the democratic process.

For those of you in the U.S. (including those abroad who are eligible to vote in the U.S. election), Tissyana and I urge you to get involved. We’d love to hear how you’re getting involved! Let us know at letstalkgradschool@gmail.com. 

Until next time!

How to reach me: You are always welcome to email me (letstalkgradschool@gmail.com). You can also find me on Twitter (X) @tweetsbymidge and Bluesky @bskybymidge.

Want to support my #hiddencurriculum efforts? Consider “buying me a coffee” via Ko-fi. All funds will be put back into my Let’s Talk Grad School initiatives (i.e., weekend groups, buying/mailing books, etc.). Learn more about my efforts here.

Let’s give away some books: Readers located in the United States are eligible to enter the book giveaway to receive a copy of A Field Guide to Grad School by Dr. Jessica Calarco. To do so, complete this survey and note that you only have to complete it once to be entered in all subsequent giveaways! I do hope to expand the reach of the giveaway; however, at the moment, the shipping costs are too great to scale. If you’d like to talk about ways your institution could secure an electronic (or hard) copy, please let me know.

Wishing you all the best!

Margaret