In honor of National Voter Registration Day, student organizations took to Locust Walk on Tuesday to encourage the Penn community to register to vote.
Penn Leads the Vote — a nonpartisan, student-led group — tabled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on campus. Just through paper forms alone, which do not include individuals who filled out the registration form online, the group registered 170 students.
According to College senior Ashley Kim, who also serves as the director of PLTV, “tabling on a national civic holiday like NVRD helps make voting an integral and celebratory experience at Penn.”
Kim added in a statement that several members of University leadership — including Penn President Larry Jameson, Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education Russell Composto, and School of Arts and Sciences Dean Mark Trodden — stopped by the group's tables.
“Having Penn Leadership attend NVRD demonstrates to the Penn community that civic engagement is an institutional priority at Penn,” she wrote.
PLTV offered students and faculty merchandise, tote bag screen printing, photo opportunities with Penn’s Quaker mascot, and food to encourage participation.
The organization, which is run by the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships, advances “civic and community engagement at Penn.” On Tuesday, both students and staff spent time staffing tables on Locust and registering individuals to vote.
According to Kim, 170 voters registered exceeded PLTV’s goal for the day. The organization’s long-term goal, she wrote, is to reach 100% registration of eligible students by 2028.
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“This year we are focusing particularly on working with different institutional partners at Penn, such as University Life and the College House and Academic Services to make voting easier for students,” she added.
During last year’s national voter registration day, the organization registered more than 300 people.
Penn Democrats also tabled on Locust between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
“We understand that students often intend to register to vote but delay for a multitude of reasons,” a Penn Dems spokesperson wrote in a statement. “We hope that celebrations like National Voter Registration Day encourage students to take a few moments and actually register.”
The spokesperson added that the group was “committed to electing Democrats up and down the ballot” and “empowering progressive candidates and issues.”
“As an organization dedicated to civic engagement, we are also committed to helping all students access the electoral process,” they wrote.
PLTV will hold its final voter registration drive on Oct. 19, the last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania before this year’s midterm elections. Election Day is Nov. 3.
