Ellie Park, Multimedia Managing Editor

The Democracy Liaisons Program, launched this fall, aims to help Yalies vote in the upcoming presidential election. 

Democracy liaisons, a branch of the Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life’s Yale Votes Initiative, are student employees dedicated to supporting Yalies in the voting process for the upcoming presidential election, helping with tasks such as voter registration and absentee ballot requests and submissions. Stationed in the Head of College offices across all residential colleges, each college has four liaisons, who were primarily hired from the existing group of college aides.

“It feels like every state and circumstance comes with different deadlines and restrictions, which can be hard to navigate, especially on top of academic, extracurricular, and social obligations,” Sonja Aibel ’28, democracy liaison for Davenport College, wrote to the News. “I think centralizing all of the information and resources necessary to navigate voter registration and vote-by-mail ballot requests in members of residential college communities could make voting more accessible, simple, and easy.” 

There are two separate organizations helping students to vote on campus. Yale Votes is run by the University, while Yale Votes: A Student Initiative is unaffiliated and led entirely by undergraduate and graduate students. 

Alex Moore ’26, president of Yale Votes: A Student Initiative, told the News that while the organizations are separate, they work very closely with one another. 

“We were involved with the [Yale Votes] website development and early stages of brainstorming related to what became the Democracy Liaison program,” he wrote. 

Moore added that the Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life also contributes to funding some of Yale Votes: A Student Initative’s work. 

In previous election years, Yale Votes mobilized undergraduate volunteers assigned to each residential college. While their role was similar to that of the current democracy liaisons, they were unpaid and not officially recognized by the University. 

Dean of Yale College Pericles Lewis told the News that he is working with Yale Votes to ensure students are registering to vote. He highlighted that because many students are from different states, he thinks having resources to help register is important. 

The liaisons received training and are fully compensated by the Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life. Liaisons are prepared to assist students in navigating varying state voting rules and will provide envelopes and stamps for submitting ballots or other necessary documents.

“I am excited about the University’s investment in hiring democracy liaisons because they will function as an important resource for students as they prepare to vote during this election cycle,” Julia Lin ’26, vice president of Yale Votes: A Student Initiative, told the News. “Students who are interested in facilitating civic engagement on campus can be compensated while helping to ensure that their peers feel ready to vote.” 

Moore shared that while on-campus students cannot receive mail at their residential college’s package center, they can receive government mail. He wrote that students living on campus should request their absentee ballots to be sent to their residential college’s address. Democracy liaisons will notify students by email once the ballots arrive at the college’s office. 

Yale Votes has also coordinated with Yale Mail to ensure election-related mail is separated from regular mail, with plans to expedite its delivery to college offices as the election nears. This effort aims to prevent delays in receiving important election materials.

“My group, Yale Votes: A Student Initiative, has many of its own efforts to make voting accessible to students!” Moore wrote to the News. “Democracy Liaisons are a great resource for students, and we believe it’s also important to proactively seek out students who might not voluntarily visit the Liaisons, and help them vote as well.” 

Democracy liaisons’ work hours vary by college and are posted outside the Head of College offices and in the dining halls. Each college will have three two-hour shifts between 5 and 7 p.m. on weekdays and one three-hour shift on Saturdays. The jobs will end right around election day, Nov. 5. Yale Votes: A Student Initiative leaders said the program will be assessed to determine whether it will be brought back in upcoming years. 

“I’m excited about being a democracy liaison because I care a lot about the upcoming election, and I particularly hope that youth and Gen Z turn out and have our voices heard this November,” Aibel said.

The 2024 U.S. presidential election is scheduled to take place on Nov. 5.

Correction, 9/17: Democracy liaisons’ work hours were corrected.