Although the data on the number of Cornell students who registered to vote is not yet available, the figure is expected to significantly surpass the number of registered students from the 2020 cycle of 15,182, according to Cornell Votes President Camille Simmons ’25.
The 2020 number itself was a substantial increase from the 2016 registration number of 13,069.
“We’ve seen a ton of excitement from students about voting and voting registration,” Simmons said. “This semester started and [the level of engagement] was just way more than we expected, which is really cool to see.”
Cornell Votes is a student-run nonpartisan organization that aims to increase voter registration, voter turnout and civic engagement on campus, utilizing tabling and registration drives to push students to exercise their democratic rights.
The organization provided voter registration forms directly to students on campus, primarily through tabling at Robert Purcell Community Center, Willard Straight Hall, Mann Library, Duffield Hall and dining halls on West Campus. Throughout the semester, the organization turned in 313 New York registration forms and 72 N.Y. absentee ballot request forms from students to the Tompkins County Board of Elections, according to Simmons.
“Most people are pretty receptive [to our efforts], a lot of people just need a little help to get over the initial hurdle of registering to vote,” said Erik Lapidus ’27, the liaison for the Cornell Votes Community Engagement Department. “It can feel like a daunting process and we’re here to help them with it.”
Cornell Votes hosted over 50 voter registration events throughout the semester that they estimate reached over 3,000 students, according to Simmons. Cornell Votes volunteers provided information to potential voters at multiple Family Weekend and Halloween events, and the organization tabled off-campus in Collegetown to maximize outreach to members of the Cornell community.
Reshma Niraula ’26 registered to vote in Tompkins County through a form available at a Cornell Votes table.
“It feels really great to be a part of something that will impact the future in many ways, and I didn’t want my privilege to go to waste,” Niraula said, describing her experience voting on Election Day.
With an increase in eligible student voter participation from 47.4 percent in 2016 to 66.1 percent in 2020, Cornell Votes set its sights high for the 2024 election, aiming for 90 percent voter participation among eligible students.
Simmons said that this standard was realistic for the 2024 election considering the increase in participation since the founding of Cornell Votes in 2020.
Bringing voter engagement to campus has been a long-time goal of Cornell Votes, which advocated for a bill that passed in 2022 requiring universities that enroll over 300 registered voters to have an on-campus polling place. In the 2022 midterm elections, most students who lived on campus were eligible to vote at Alice Cook House on West Campus. This past Election Day, students could vote at RPCC.
“The addition of an on-campus polling site plays a big part in getting the participation rate up. It’s so much easier for students to vote if they can just walk there,” Simmons said.
As a non-partisan organization, Cornell Votes collaborated with several student groups including Planned Parenthood Generation Action at Cornell and the Homelessness Action Project at Cornell.
“The fact that we’re non-partisan is one of my favorite parts about Cornell Votes,” Simmons said. “It provides a great sense of community. You know everyone there cares, but you don’t have to have those debates. You’re purely there just to help other people vote.”
Avery Prince is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at [email protected].
Diya Singhal is a Sun Contributors and can be reached at and [email protected].