Students hold up screen-printed tote bags at a VCU Votes event on Oct. 27.
Holding up screen-printed tote bags at a VCU Votes event on Oct. 27. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

Oct. 29, 2021

VCU Votes: ‘Have a voting plan’ to participate in Tuesday’s election

Virginia voters will elect the state’s next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and all 100 members of the House of Delegates.

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By Brian McNeill

Voters on Tuesday will elect Virginia’s next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and all 100 members of the House of Delegates, and Virginia Commonwealth University students will have the opportunity to participate.

“We’re encouraging VCU students to have a voting plan. Know where your polling place is, make sure to tell a friend or two, and bring a friend when you go vote,” said Jacqueline Smith-Mason, Ph.D., senior associate dean in the Honors College and chair of the VCU Votes Advisory Council, a group of faculty, students, and staff members that coordinates campuswide voter engagement events, provides voter education and works to make VCU as voter-friendly as possible.

There are two polling places at VCU: the Institute for Contemporary Art at 601 W. Broad St., and University Student Commons at 907 Floyd Ave. To find your polling place and to see what will be on your ballot, visit the Virginia Department of Elections website.

Students screen print tote bags at a VCU Votes event on Oct. 27.
Screen printing tote bags at a VCU Votes event on Oct. 27. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)
Students screen print tote bags at a VCU Votes event on Oct. 27.
Screen-printing on tote bags and shirts at a VCU Votes event outside the Student Commons. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)
Students screen print tote bags at a VCU Votes event on Oct. 27.
VCU has a longstanding culture of voter participation. This fall, the university was recognized as one of the best colleges in the U.S. for student voting. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

VCU has a longstanding culture of voter participation. In the 2018 midterm elections, 48.6% of registered VCU voters cast a ballot, compared with the national voting rate of 39.1% across all college campuses. In the 2016 presidential election, 61.5% of VCU students voted, outpacing the national voting rate of 50.4% among all higher education institutions, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement.

This fall, VCU was recognized as one of the best colleges in the U.S. for student voting. In 2019, VCU received a Gold Seal award from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for its high rate of campus voter participation.

Virginia is one of only two states holding elections for governor this year, the other being New Jersey. As a result, Virginia’s race has drawn national attention. On Saturday, the student organization Young Democrats at VCU held a rally for Democrat Terry McAuliffe that featured former President Barack Obama.

A statewide poll released last week by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU found that the Virginia’s gubernatorial election is essentially tied, with 41% of likely voters supporting McAuliffe and 38% supporting Republican Glenn Youngkin.