Students in Pennsylvania will play a critical role in the Nov. 5 elections. Pennsylvania is one of the most important battleground states needed to win this presidential election, especially since it has the largest number of electoral votes – nineteen – among swing states for 2024. In 2016, President Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by a margin of 0.72%. In 2020, President Joe Biden won Pennsylvania by a margin of 1.2%. This means that Pennsylvania’s Electoral College votes were decided by 80,550 voters. There are 616,281 college students in Pennsylvania – and you’re one of them.
Voter Guide
SwatVotes has curated a Voter Guide with specific information about voter registration, candidates on the ballot, and casting a ballot on Election Day! We provide detailed information, links, and resources on the website to help students register to vote, go to the polls on Election Day, and become civically engaged. Flyers are dispersed across campus, so scan one on your way to class!
Registration Information
In Pennsylvania, more than 60% of eighteen-year-olds are unregistered. The Pennsylvania voter registration deadline is Monday, Oct. 21. All Swarthmore students are eligible to vote using the address of their Swarthmore dorm. It is important that Swarthmore students put their dorm name before “500 College Ave.” in the address section of their voter registration since students vote in different polling locations based on which dorm they live in. If you are planning to vote by mail in Pennsylvania, your mail-in ballot registration form must be received Monday, Oct. 21. Applications for mail-in ballots or absentee ballots for students choosing to vote at their home address must be received by their county’s election office by Oct. 29. Once these are received, ballots must be received by their county’s election office by Nov. 5. Registration information varies state-to-state, county-to-county! Students should research the requirements for the state you are planning to vote in and reach out to vote@swarthmore.edu for support with finding this information.
Election Day Information
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Students should go to PA.gov to check their voter registration, which will provide information about the polling location they will be voting at.
If you don’t have time to vote on Nov. 5, consider requesting a mail-in ballot through the links provided on our VoterGuide to ensure you cast your ballot.
PA Ballot
If you are voting in Pennsylvania, there are several elections on the ballot for Swarthmore residents other than the presidential race. These are elections for the Pennsylvania U.S. Senator, Pennsylvania U.S. Representative for District 5, Pennsylvania Attorney General, Pennsylvania Auditor General, Pennsylvania State Treasurer, and Pennsylvania State Representative for District 165.
Resources on Campus
There are several resources available for student voters on campus. SwatVotes is a nonpartisan student organization. SwatVotes will be tabling every Sunday from 4 – 5 p.m. until Nov. 5 in Singer Hall, to provide voter registration support and information, as well as answer any questions you have about voting. SwatVotes is hosting several events this week, including Bites & Ballots, a collaboration with the Swarthmore College Libraries and Get Out the Vote Committee to provide students who are voting by mail or absentee with information and research support. The event will be held in the LibLab in McCabe from 4:30 to 6 p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 3. SwatVotes will also be holding voter information and registration tables between the Mullan Tennis Center and Lamb-Miller Fieldhouse this Saturday, Oct. 5 during the three athletics home games.
Get Involved
We recommend that you check if you are registered to vote, using your state’s government website. Make a plan for Election Day, whether you will vote in person or mail your ballot. Stop by the post office to see if you were mailed anything from your election office! Ask your friends and family if they’re registered and help them check their registration status. Make voting a group activity and go to the polls together! You can visit @SwatVotes on Instagram for information about voting as we get closer to Nov. 5. SwatVotes provides non-partisan voter information for registration as well as for the election.
I urge every Swarthmore student to vote. You could make the difference lasting for decades to come between a functioning democracy and a tyranny.