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.
Learn more about our history on the Voting Week Organizing Committee's website.
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
Learn more about this team of students involved in this year's Voting Week Organizing Committee on their website! Find bios, photos, and how you can join the team for years to come.
- Daniella Goncalves, Voting Week Director
- Kate Welty, Political Union President
- Emily Anne Gruber, Planning Lead
- Partha Sharma, Planning Lead
- Ryan Joel, Planning Lead
- Tamar Dayanim, Planning Lead
- Blake Mueller, Planning Lead
- Alexander Tin, Marketing Lead
- Kevin Tayebi, Press Lead
- Peter Ryan, Digital Lead
- Zoe Ryan, Visuals Lead
The student team of Voting Week is also grateful for the help of Columbia administrators in making Voting Week a success. Learn more about Francesca Walker, Briget Arndell, Pete Cerneka, and the other Student Engagement staff involved in Voting Week.
