Absentee Ballots at NYU: Do Students Know How to Vote?

As the 2024 United States presidential election nears, many students remain unsure about how to cast their ballot.

---

New York University (NYU), home to over 29,000 undergraduate students, has worked to mobilize students with its program, NYU Votes. On Sept. 17, NYU Votes partnered with HeadCount to encourage students to register to vote. Despite the school's efforts, there’s still confusion regarding one aspect of voting: absentee ballots.

About 50% of young people voted in the 2020 election, according to analysis by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. About 45% of these young people voted by mail or absentee ballot drop-off, making absentee voting a key resource for people between the ages of 18 and 29.

“I have no idea what an absentee ballot is,” Trudi Aristeguieta, an NYU student from Seattle, Washington, said. “I've literally never heard anybody talk about them.”

Aristeguieta told 101 News Stop she plans on traveling home to cast her vote. 

She isn’t the only one. 

Maggie Clark, an NYU student from Delaware, said she had never considered applying for an absentee ballot, and she too is going home to vote. 

Clark’s friend and fellow NYU student, Molly Cohen, explained that NYU has failed to educate young voters about absentee ballots.

“[NYU is] doing a good job at encouraging students to vote, but their banners that say ‘vote’ aren't enough,” Cohen said. “They're not saying how you can vote absentee … most people I know don’t have a voting plan.”

One of these students without a voting plan is Lexi Garcia. Hailing from Virginia, the first-time voter didn’t know what an absentee ballot was or how she would vote in this election. 

“I think I registered for an absentee ballot?” Garcia said, furrowing her brow in confusion. “This election is very important, and I know who I’m voting for. I just need to figure out how to vote.”

Saha Guerrero, president of NYU College Democrats, explained that many people are in Garcia’s position.

“Most of the time, people do not vote because they don't know how. They don't have the necessary resources and information to make their plan to vote,” Guerrero said. “It's incumbent upon the university to bring students together and educate them on voting.”

Conversely, some students, including Saylor Caruso, are satisfied with NYU’s resources. She explained that many of her friends at NYU are prepared to vote this year.

“If students attended the voter registration events and fairs, they should know how to register,” Caruso said. 

University spokesperson Jason Hollander told 101 News Stop that NYU has sufficiently educated students about absentee voting.

“NYU Votes consistently promotes absentee ballot information in its emails to the universitywide community,” Hollander said in a written statement. “In our communications, we consistently note that students may choose to vote by absentee ballot or at the polls — and provide links for both.”