In 2022, only 23.3% of Cornellians voted in the U.S. midterm elections. Compared to 46.2% of the national electorate and 42.5% of the state electorate, this statistic is far from ideal, especially for an institution full of empowered and smart students capable of enacting change through civic engagement. The founding principle of Cornell University is “... any person … any study”; at Cornell Votes, our guiding principle takes this a step further: “Every person, every voice.”
Cornell Votes is a university-sponsored, non-partisan registered student organization with the mission of increasing voter registration, turnout and civic engagement on campus. The goal of Cornell Votes is to facilitate a campus where all students are able to exercise their right to have a say in their representation. Achieving this goal takes many forms: tabling regularly throughout campus, collaborating with other organizations to educate students, providing information on local, national and international elections every month and more. The members of Cornell Votes work year-round — including during the summer — to ensure Cornellians have all the resources they need to stay civically engaged.
Looking forward to the 2026 midterm elections, Cornell Votes has a number of goals we’d like to achieve to improve voter turnout at Cornell. We’d like to see 90% of Cornellians registered to vote, with at least 44% of those registered voters showing up to vote in 2026. One way Cornell Votes is working toward this goal is by growing the resources available on our website, cornellvotes.org. By visiting this site, Cornellians can find state-specific information on how to register to vote, request absentee ballots and more. Additionally, Cornell Votes is signing up as many students as possible to our text alert system; by texting “JOIN” to (607) 882-6066, Cornellians can receive personalized reminders for their state’s elections. You can also prepare to cast absentee ballots with the help of our organization. Cornell Votes isn’t just aiming to impact Ithacan students alone. We are also looking to expand to other Cornell campuses, such as Weill Cornell and Cornell Tech, in addition to connecting with other Ivy League voting organizations to make the biggest impact possible.
There is now a little less than a year until the 2026 midterm elections and elections are happening at the local and state levels every month. The work of Cornell Votes does not start nor stop with the presidential election cycle and we need all the help we can get to ensure Cornellians are able to exercise their voice through voting and civic engagement. Cornell Votes meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in Kennedy Hall 209, and we are always accepting new members to aid in our mission. Even if you don’t have the time to contribute, you can help us achieve our goal by registering to vote and staying up to date on your latest elections. Happy voting, Cornellians!
Cornell Votes is a university-wide, non-partisan registered student organization that works to increase voter registration, turnout and civic engagement on campus. They can be reached at cornellvotes@cornell.edu.
