Absentee Ballot Days in the Bender Library at AU:
From September 16 through 20, the American University Library will host “Absentee Ballot Days in the Library.” This event was founded at AU Library in 2018 and has been offered every federal election cycle since. Through this initiative, we have helped thousands of our students vote. During this event and in partnership with many other groups (student affairs, student government, first year advising, DC League of Women Voters, and several non-partisan student groups) and campus volunteers help students navigate the forms to verify their registration, register, request an absentee ballot, and know what to do when they receive their ballot. The library provides stamps, envelopes, free printing, ID copying, signed witnesses and notary services to our students—all for free.
We are happy to share our work to make the lift easier if your library is interested in providing a similar event. You can find detailed information at AU’s “Request a Ballot by State” Libguide, which is available on a Creative Commons license and can be easily adapted and branded (https://subjectguides.library.american.edu/request-a-ballot/State_information). If you are interested or have questions, please contact Gwendolyn Reece (greece@american.edu).
