By Cynthia Hubert

October 17, 2024

Sacramento State is doing its part to ensure that its campus community and members of the public can fully participate in the 2024 general election.

The University again will be the site of a Vote Center where voters can register to vote, fill out and submit their ballot and request a replacement ballot if the one mailed to them is lost or damaged.

The center, in Modoc Hall, will be open for the three days before the election and on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5. All voters registered in Sacramento County may vote or drop off their completed ballot at the Vote Center.

The Vote Center will be open 6:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday, Nov. 3-4, and 6 a.m. - 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5.

“Voting this year is crucial, not only for the presidential election, but also for the California ballot initiatives that impact all of us as California citizens.” -- Elisa Trimboli, Sac State’s Anchor University partnership manager

Sac State also will have a vote-by-mail ballot drop box at the campus Welcome Center, near the J Street campus entrance. It is accessible during business hours through Election Day.

“I sincerely hope that each eligible member of the Hornet Family will register to vote and participate in this year’s election,” Sac State President Luke Wood said.

The deadline to register to vote online or by mail is Oct. 21. Voters can register in person at voting locations through Election Day.

Voters will cast ballots for president, federal and state legislators and local officeholders and decide 10 statewide ballot measures.

Sac State made history during the 2018 midterm election by becoming the first California university with an on-campus, countywide voting location.

“Voting this year is crucial, not only for the presidential election, but also for the California ballot initiatives that impact all of us as California citizens,” said Elisa Trimboli, Sac State’s Anchor University partnership manager.

Trimboli is part of the California Secretary of State Students Vote Project, which aims to promote civic engagement among college students through voter education, registration and outreach.

Sac State and all 23 CSUs are taking part in this year’s “Ballot Bowl,” part of the Secretary of State’s initiative. The bowl is a friendly competition in which California college and university campuses work to register the most students to vote.

In the 2020 general election Ballot Bowl, 140 colleges across the state participated and 82,000 students registered to vote.

As of last week, Sac State ranked sixth in the Ballot Bowl among CSUs, having registered 297 students.

Every vote is important, Trimboli said.

“This election is our opportunity to shape the future, and make sure our voices are heard on the issues that impact us all,” she said.

More information about Sacramento State’s voter engagement can be found on the Hornets Vote Hornets Count web page.