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SALEM, MASS. – On a small campus in Northeast Massachusetts, an institutional focus on civic engagement transforms the act of voting in local elections into a campus-wide celebration.

From voter registration efforts as classes begin to a “Party at the Polls” on election day, 91��ý brings to life its status as the Commonwealth’s civic engagement university with each passing election season. 

“We’ve helped 300 students register to vote. That’s really exciting, because most of them are first-year students coming to Salem brand new to the community, and jumping in feet first to really get engaged in our local democracy,” said Hannah Levine, assistant director of the Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics at Salem State. “We tell them, ‘You live here in Salem, and you have a voice in the decisions being made in this city on things like parking, traffic, things that affect your every-day lives. These are the things that folks you get to vote for will make decisions on.’”

As students either returned to campus or came for the first time this fall, they were met with voter registration efforts and a schedule of events to generate interest in the local political scene. By Oct. 15, three weeks before election day, the Vikings Vote team had already registered nearly 250 students to vote in the upcoming local elections through voter ambassadors sharing registration information and registration tables popping up at events. 

On National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 16, Vikings Vote tabled at Alumni Plaza, engaging with more than 330 Salem State community members. An event held Tuesday, Oct. 7 brought Salem State’s two representatives on the Salem City Council—Ward 5 City Councilor Jeff Cohen and Ward 7 City Councilor Andy Varela—to campus to discuss public service, sustainability, and ways students can engage in local politics. 

91��ý also co-hosted a Salem At-Large City Council Candidate Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 7 in partnership with the Salem Chamber of Commerce and Civics, the League of Women Voters Salem, and the Latino Leadership Coalition.

It isn’t enough to simply read up on the candidates and issues on the ballot, however. Salem State also works to help students develop a voting plan so the act of casting a ballot is built into the student’s routine come election day.

“Students are often not thinking ahead, ‘what am I doing on Nov. 4?’ We help them look ahead at their schedule and strategize how to vote,” Levine said. “Are you voting by yourself, or can you go with someone on the way to class, or with your roommate after you get breakfast at Marsh Dining?” 

Salem State has an even closer relationship with the election process due to its status as a polling place for the City of Salem. Each election, voters in Salem’s Ward 7 travel to the Enterprise Center on Harrington Campus to cast their ballots, bringing neighbors to vote at Salem State alongside students who live on campus. 

For that, Salem State also hosts a “Party at the Polls” each election day. Running from 8 am to 8 pm, the celebration of voter engagement brings food, drinks, and more to mark the end of the election season.

The institutional support for engaging in local elections has led Salem State to receive several voter engagement-related honors in recent years. Twice in late 2024, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge celebrated 91��ý: a Silver Seal for its efforts to register and get students to vote in 2022, and then a Most Engaged Campus nod for its voter engagement efforts throughout the 2024 general election. 

“Salem State’s commitment to civic engagement extends far beyond a single day at the polls. We strive to help students understand that their voices shape the communities they live in and the democracy we all share,” said Cynthia Lynch, assistant vice provost in the Center for Civic Engagement. “Each election season offers a powerful reminder of the role higher education plays in nurturing informed and active community members. It is a responsibility we take seriously and celebrate together.”

Please visit the Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics website for more information.