Repeatedly recognized for voter engagement efforts, the Muhlenberg College community works hard to ensure everyone has a voice on Election Day.
Muhlenberg’s students are among the most engaged in the nation when it comes to voting. The College has been recognized nationally for the stellar efforts of students, staff and faculty in ensuring students are prepared to vote and that they turnout on Election Day.
The College was named one of the 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting for the nonpartisan work to increase engagement in the midterm elections. During the 2020 presidential election, Muhlenberg’s student voter rate was nearly 83 percent — one of the highest in the country and far exceeding the national rate of 66 percent.
How do I decide where to vote?
Deciding where to exercise your right to vote is a personal decision that should take into consideration a number of factors including where you consider home. To think it through, see this helpful guide on voting as a college student
How do I vote in Pennsylvania?
In order to vote in Pennsylvania, you must:
You can register to vote online, but you must include your box number. And if you are not from Pennsylvania, you must mail in the completed application with your signature. Not sure if you’ve already registered? No worries! You can check your status here.
Let us help you! The Office of Community Engagement is happy to mail in your voter registration or signature forms to ensure you're ready to vote come Election Day. Please reach out with any questions or requests for assistance!
If it's your first time voting in Pennsylvania or at a new polling place, you'll want to reference this checklist to make sure you have everything you need to cast your ballot.
What should I do if I plan to vote in my hometown?
It’s no problem if you’d rather vote in your home community, but you should make a plan before Election Day. Research your state’s rules for absentee voting. Request, complete and mail in your ballot before your state’s deadline. You can search Vote.org for each state’s absentee ballot deadline.
Check out the Rock The Vote voting database to learn more about the voting requirements for each state.
What if I registered to vote in Allentown but am away on Election Day?
If you registered to vote at your on-campus address, but know you won’t be physically at Muhlenberg on Election Day, be sure to request an absentee ballot. You can use this form or, if you’re a full-time Pennsylvania resident with a valid state ID, you can apply online.
Mail your completed ballot to:
Lehigh County Voter Registration Office
17 S. 7th St.
Allentown PA, 18101-2401
If you vote by mail or absentee they MUST receive your ballot by 8 pm on November 5, 2024!
How do I get involved with voter engagement on campus?
Interested in helping to turn out the vote on campus? There are many ways you can join the effort:
Muhlenberg also has student-run partisan organizations that you can join. These groups have organized events around key issues, have brought candidates to campus and have helped organize debates.
If you're a fluent Spanish speaker, you can join other students and community members by volunteering as a bilingual poll interpreter. In the Allentown area, 97 of Lehigh County's 161 precincts have a large enough Spanish speaking population to require poll interpreters.
Learn more about how Erika Sutherland, associate professor of Spanish, has worked to organize volunteers for this essential task.
As a Muhlenberg student, you can register to vote in Pennsylvania using your College address. Learn more about the process and get registered!
Muhlenberg’s student voter participation rates in recent elections have been higher than those of most peer institutions. Ahead of this midterm election, students, staff and faculty worked hard to ensure that this trend continues.
The Political Science Department's biannual Election Series brings in a variety of speakers and panelists to foster discussion around the issues that emerge during an election cycle. These programs are open to students, faculty, staff and the public.
The Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion (MCIPO), a student-centric polling organization on campus, conducts scientific-based research related to public opinion at the local, state and national levels and has garnered national attention.
