Held annually during the first week of October, Voting Week offers our community a unique opportunity to engage with fascinating and dynamic speakers from a wide range of backgrounds. 

History

Voting Week began as the idea of former Columbia Political Union president David Kang '15. Kang envisioned a weeklong celebration of civic engagement on campus to drum up voter registration and political awareness at Columbia.

In the years since, Voting Week has offered the Columbia community perspectives from a vast range of backgrounds to discuss democracy around the world, civic engagement in the United States, and issues around voting. During the week, student volunteers help members of the community file for absentee ballots and register to vote. 

Voting Week has been proud to host speakers including Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan Barham Salih, and many other distinguished guests. Voting Week has also successfully registered hundreds of students to vote in their home districts. 

Our Partners

The Columbia Political Union, Student Engagement, and the Department of Political Science works closely in partnership to organize and support Voting Week. We are also incredibly grateful to our partners on and off campus who make Voting Week a success.

Student Team

• Kate Welty, Voting Week Co-Chair

• Ademali Sengal, Voting Week Co-Chair