Recognizing National Voter Registration Day and Constitution Day

09/17/2024

Dear members of the SLU community,

Today marks an important moment for our democracy: It is both National Voter Registration Day and Constitution Day.

Signed on September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution laid the foundation for the freedoms we enjoy today. Over the years, key amendments have expanded those freedoms, including one of the most powerful rights we have: the right to vote.

This election season is an especially advantageous time to be on a college campus, where vast information is easily accessible and a diversity of knowledgeable individuals are prepared to share insights and engage in thoughtful dialogue. Particularly at a university with our values, we should each take seriously the obligation to become informed on the issues, positions, and candidates. And we should model respectful exchanges with those of differing opinions and understandings.

I urge all of you who are eligible to get engaged, to register, and to vote this November.

• The deadline in Missouri to register for the November Presidential election is Wednesday, October 9. Keep an eye out for registration tables on campus today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., hosted by volunteers from SLU’s Center for Social Action.
• Students who live on campus may choose to register using their SLU address (20 N. Grand Blvd., MSC#, St. Louis, MO 63103).
• On Tuesday, November 5, individuals registered in the City of St. Louis can vote at any polling place in the city, including two on SLU’s campus: the Busch Student Center, and Il Monastero.
• Or, if students prefer, they can register to vote in their home precinct and vote by absentee ballot. Most states, including Missouri and Illinois, have online registration. Nonpartisan websites like www.vote411.org or www.vote.org will help you to register to vote, check your registration status, locate your polling place, or request an absentee ballot.
• The Center for Social Action team can assist with voter registration, absentee ballot access, and ballot notarization every weekday. They are available from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday, in the Center for Global Citizenship, Suite 134. You can also email Dr. Leah Sweetman at leah.sweetman@slu.edu with questions.

In the weeks ahead, I also encourage you to remember that your words and actions can and should help create the healthy, thriving democracy that is central to our national aspirations – a democracy in which everyone has a voice, and political violence has no place.

As a university, we are a nonpartisan organization committed to free inquiry and civil discourse. Our strength lies in the peaceful and passionate exchange of ideas. Our mission calls us to engage differences with curiosity and respect – choosing dialogue over division, rigorous investigation over misinformation, and empathy over polarization.

Today, on this Constitution Day and National Voter Registration Day, please be sure that you are registered to vote. Don’t miss your opportunity to use your voice, and to exercise this fundamental right.

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.
President