Celebrating democracy on Election Day at Penn

The Penn campus resounded with ferocious Election Day enthusiasm on Tuesday:

"Thank you for voting!"

"Voting donuts!"

"I'm going to get a photo with the Quaker. That'd be fire."

For many Penn students, Election Day 2024 is about more than two presidential candidates going at it hammer and tongs; it's also a vital celebration of democracy.

Exiting Houston Hall after voting, third-year Joni Muhsinov said he was propelled to vote by his parents, who are Uzbek immigrants. Muhsinov, who was born in the United States and is a biochemistry and biophysics major from Key West, Florida, said, "I'm the first person in my family to be able to vote."

Along Locust Walk, students stood at key intersections asking passers-by if they were voting today. "GO VOTE!" was chalked at multiple points, with URLs to locate polling places, as "Be A Voter" banners hung overhead.

Interim President J. Larry Jameson stopped by a Penn Leads the Vote table, chatting with student volunteers, posing for photos, and discussing election-related research. He was fully bedecked with voting stickers with two on each lapel of his jacket. The Quaker mascot also joined the students, carrying a sign and posing for photos.

Pennsylvania polls opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m.

It was the first election for Ann Stettler, a fourth-year from Audubon, New Jersey, "It's exercising our right and a reminder not to take that for granted," said Stettler, who is majoring in anthropology and physics. "As a member of Generation Z, it's important that our voice is heard."

Driving civic engagement

The nonpartisan student-run organization Penn Leads the Vote held an Election Day event near the LOVE sculpture to help students navigate the election process, direct them to polling places, and answer questions.

Volunteers handed out donuts, coffee, shirts, and buttons to eager students. The group also gave out "I Voted" stickers, designed by first-year Helen Liu, bearing the image of the "Split Button."

On Monday, it pushed out an Instagram gallery featuring multiple deans urging students to vote, and beginning last week it recognized five sports teams with 100 percent voter registration: gymnastics, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, softball, and sprint football.

Penn Leads the Vote Director Alyssa Antonian said research shows that making voting a habit now helps people continue as they get older.

"We're trying to make sure that, at the end of a long stretch, people are making their voices heard," said Antonian, a fourth-year from Southaven, Mississippi, studying computer science and cognitive science. "We are the largest voting bloc in the U.S. We do have a ton of political power; we just need to show it."

Penn Leads the Vote was recognized in 2022 as a Most Engaged Campus from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. It is housed in the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and is funded by the Office of Government and Community Affairs and the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program. The donuts given away Tuesday were funded by Donuts for Democracy.

Community energy

Together at Penn formed in spring 2024 to provide some bright moments for the entire community, organizing Pi Day festivities, a "dive-in movie" at the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center, and a First Day of Class event, among others.

Part of its work on Election Day is to acknowledge that voting in the U.S. is a privilege, said organizer Katie Bonner, adding that Election Day is not something that all Penn students can participate in. Penn has about 6,800 international students, according to the most recent statistics.

"It's important to us, as a campus community, that this Election Day feels like a community. We want people to feel part of the energy and have ways to engage that are positive and fun," said Bonner, executive director of the Office of Student Affairs.

Volunteers staffed multiple tables on campus, offering selfie opportunities, an emoji station, and a mock vote-the Phillie Phanatic versus Gritty-while directing students to campus polling places.

In the afternoon, Together at Penn handed out slices of Election Day Cakes as a callback to a historic tradition.

Working the polls

Some Penn students, faculty, and staff spent Election Day working the polls, assisting with the nuts-and-bolts of election administration or keeping voting machines up and running.

First-year student William Pallan is both working the polls for the first time and voting in his first presidential election. He will be a minority inspector, helping process voters in and solving any problems that arise.

"It's a really important job, making sure we have elections that people trust," said Pallan, an undeclared student in the College from the Baltimore suburbs. "People aren't going to be able to vote if not for the poll workers, so I just thought it would be a good way to get involved in Philadelphia government."

Zoe Osborne is assistant director of admissions and has been a poll worker for several elections. As a majority inspector this year, her role is essentially the same as Pallan's. She said the work makes for a tiring day­-about 15 hours long, with the potential for longer if people are in line at 8 p.m.-but it's worth it.

"There's a lot of mistrust in our elections, and having the polls fully staffed is a way to build that trust and show that this process is working," said Osborne, a 2021 graduate of the College and 2023 graduate of the Graduate School of Education.

Being an encouraging face is also important, she said: "We get really excited when we have a first-time voter and try to make that a really good experience so they come back and want to vote again."

Osborne said this election won't be the last where poll workers are needed, adding that she's grateful for Penn offering administrative time off to regular staff members for that purpose. "It's a good feeling if you're feeling paralyzed about how you can help democracy in our country," she said.

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