UW–Madison is holding VoteFest, a weeklong series of events to engage students with resources about voting. VoteFest aims to empower students to become more civically educated with the hope that they will carry that habit with them after they graduate.
A major goal of VoteFest is to educate and encourage first-time student voters.
Students will be able to partake in a variety of VoteFest events, including a talk by the founder of FiveThirtyEight, watch a documentary and grab a BadgersVote t-shirt.
Monday, Oct. 24: Students can visit East Campus mall from 1 to 2 p.m. to make a vote plan with Democracy Dino. With a vote plan, voters have the chance to nail the nitty gritty details of voting before election day. Make a vote plan and grab a BadgersVote t-shirt, while supplies last.
Later Monday night, Arts + Literature Laboratory is hosting a screening of “No Time to Fail” at 7 p.m., followed by a Q&A with the documentary’s co-director Sara Archambault and Election Management Specialist Rachel Rodriguez. The new documentary recounts Rhode Island’s election administrators and poll workers’ efforts to secure their community’s vote while managing a global pandemic. Admission is free, although advance registration is requested. Find more information and register here.
Tuesday, Oct. 25: Early voting starts on Tuesday. Students looking to vote early can do so at Memorial Union and Union South from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except weekends) Tuesday, Oct. 25 to Friday, Nov. 4. Students will also be able to vote early at Eagle Heights Community Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 and Friday, Nov. 4. Early voting is a great chance to get ahead of the game, avoiding any possible lines or scheduling conflicts. For those looking to register prior to Nov. 8, voter registration will be offered at early voting locations. When registering, remember to bring a proof of residence.
The School of Education will be hosting voting office hours in the education building lobby from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to help answer any questions you have related to the upcoming election or voting.
Wednesday, Oct. 26: Join the founder of FiveThirtyEight Nate Silver 7 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday to learn about issues facing voters this election season. FiveThirtyEight is a site using evidence and data to further public knowledge about politics, sports and science. The event takes place in the Wisconsin Union Theatre at Memorial Union. While tickets for the in-person event are sold out, guests can attend the event through the free live stream.
Friday, Oct. 28: If voters missed the start of early voting on Tuesday, fear not! Friday is Vote Early Day. Students can vote early from Oct. 25 until Nov. 4. Celebrate Vote Early Day and close VoteFest with BadgersVote at East Campus Mall from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Spin a trivia wheel, correctly answer a question about voter education and win a prize. BadgersVote can’t wait for Election Day, so come and test out your civic knowledge. Stay up to date with BadgersVote by following us on Instagram and Twitter @BadgersVote.
For more information on early voting, registration and preparing for the November 8 Election, visit vote.wisc.edu.