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Get Out and Vote

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Office of the President

To the Dartmouth Community:

As the new academic year gets underway and the 2018 midterm elections draw near, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to be able to experience and participate in history as it happens and make sense of our time in a vibrant and supportive academic community.

Dartmouth is now -- and always has been -- home to some of the most sophisticated thinkers and scholars on virtually every topic affecting American life: economics, healthcare, international relations, the environment, inequality and, of course, government, to name a few. And, as an academic community, we are committed to the free and respectful exchange of ideas and the open-minded and unbiased consideration of those ideas based on logical analysis of evidence and facts.

Regardless of your political views, it is my sincere hope that you'll take full advantage of the access you have to such a wide range of perspectives to learn about the candidates before you this election season and to embrace the deep intellectual engagement that has characterized our campus through every election cycle since our founding, in order to make informed decisions at the polls. Most importantly, please be sure to get out and vote -- whether you do so here in New Hampshire or via absentee ballot in another state.

Currently, all U.S. citizens who are 18 years of age or older on election day and are "domiciled" in the state of New Hampshire -- including students -- are eligible to vote in New Hampshire. The full guidelines for New Hampshire voting eligibility, including the definition of "domiciled," can be found at http://sos.nh.gov/nhsos_content.aspx?id=8589972818. While recent changes to New Hampshire voting laws may impact the eligibility requirements of students in our state, those changes do not take effect until July 2019 and, therefore, do not apply to the current election cycle.

We all know the right to vote has been hard fought in this country. It is incumbent upon all of us who are eligible to vote to exercise that right and engage in our nation's democratic process, this and every election season.

Sincerely,

Philip J. Hanlon '77
President