The University of Connecticut will open the campus’ first early voting location in the UConn Bookstore.
The poll will be on the second floor of the bookstore. It will be open from Oct. 21 to Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Mansfield Town Council approved the new location in an 8-1 vote on Aug. 26, 2024.
Nick Lanza, a seventh-semester political science major and public policy minor and the external affairs director of UConn’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG), said that several student organizations have advocated for an on-campus voting location for nearly 20 years.
This is the first year that the state of Connecticut is doing early voting, which, according to Lanza, helped to set this secondary location on a fast-track.
This new polling location will be open to all those registered to vote in Mansfield.
Congressman Joe Courtney said that he has felt there should be a polling place on the UConn campus since his campaign in 2006. He said that since it is such a “high density site,” that access to voting should be as convenient as possible.
Courtney said that part of the reason this second location took so long to establish was that the university had been “wavering in focus” and that the town of Mansfield has been resistant in years past.
During the Town Council, Republican member Brian Coleman spoke against the opening of a second early voting location, concerned about the added cost for taxpayers to open the poll. Ryan Aylesworth, the chief executive officer of the town, responded saying that the university is waiving fees for the town, according to the meeting minutes.
Courtney said that a secondary polling location will help the registrar’s office run more smoothly and make the primary voting location’s poll workers’ jobs easier. Anne Greineder, the Democratic registrar for Mansfield, shared a similar prediction in the meeting, saying that it will “alleviate some of the congestion at same day registration.”
The 18–24-year-old age group has historically produced the lowest voter turnout. Both Lanza and Courtney believe that this new voting poll location will help to close that gap in Mansfield due to the increased accessibility for those students without cars on campus.
Courtney said that it is important for this age group to vote so that they can feel a sense of control in their government.
“No question that in every election, but particularly this election, young people have more at stake,” he said.
Seth Warner, an assistant professor of political science at UConn, agrees and said that anything that reduces the cost of voting will increase participation.
“I think it’s good. Particularly as the university grows, I think it’s important from the university’s mission to create engaged citizens that we make this type of participation possible,” he said.
Students that are Connecticut residents can register or make changes to their registration through the online voter registration system on the Secretary of the State’s website.
Students living on campus can register to vote in Mansfield using their residence address. The Registrar of Voters has further instructions on its website. There is also information listed about absentee ballots and registering by mail.
In the weeks leading up to Oct. 18, the deadline to register to vote, USG will host several initiatives to get students excited about voting, according to Lanza.
USG will hold registration drives on Fairfield Way starting tomorrow. They will run on Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. through Oct. 16. USG also plans to take more direct approaches by meeting with cultural centers, fraternities and sororities.
Lanza also confirmed that members from USG will be working at the bookstore’s polling booth. He noted that anyone outside of USG is also welcome to sign up to work, but also that all of the slots are almost filled. He said this reflected the excitement around the new location.
The Town Hall will remain the primary early voting location, according to the council’s meeting minutes. Its open hours will also be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
Sounds like we are promoting Democratic rules by putting voting locations that are not in government buildings!! Where is the oversight on this?
Donna you are right about that one!!!! Who is overseeing these locations? It should be done at the town hall and any drop boxes should be put at police stations period!