Dear students,

I hope your autumn quarter is off to a great start. I am writing today to share information that I hope you will find helpful over the next few weeks. As many of you know, the 2024 U.S. general election is less than a month away. Several useful resources related to the election and voting are available to members of the Stanford community to help you become familiar with the issues, the candidates, and the processes related to voting.

One such resource is the Stanford Democracy Hub. Here you will find information on upcoming civic and democracy-related events, educational and engagement opportunities, leading research, and other information to help you understand the issues, choices, and overall process to cast your ballot, if you are eligible to vote.

Here are three other election-related items I want to call to your attention:

  • The 2024 Guide to Voting at Stanford produced by StanfordVotes, a nonpartisan student group on campus, covers all the basics such as registering to vote, requesting an absentee ballot, and getting and returning your ballot.

  • The Stanford Vote Center is located at Tresidder Union and will be open from Nov. 2-5.

  • A Voting and Elections Guide prepared by Stanford Libraries contains nonpartisan resources to also help you register to vote and stay educated about the issues.

If you’re feeling stressed or anxious about the election, the mental health and wellbeing and Democracy Hub websites include a variety of resources available at Stanford and the student interns at the Flourish recently published a piece with five tips for managing election stress. You can also read more about how the university has been developing a culture of civic engagement in a September article in Stanford Report that links to many of those resources and more.

Please take some time to explore all of these resources. I encourage you to find ways to engage with the upcoming election, whether it be through learning about the issues, helping with voter registration efforts, and voting, if you are able.

Warm regards,
Michele Rasmussen
Vice Provost for Student Affairs