St. Mary's Votes!

Who We Are

The St. Mary's Votes! project is a local initiative to encourage St. Mary's College of Maryland students, and young people across the state, to participate in primary and general elections.

The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution gives Americans 18 years old and older the right to vote. However, only half of the 23.9 million Americans between the ages of 18 and 23 actually register to vote, and of that half, only about a third actually vote. This means that only 16 % of Americans between the ages of 18 and 23 participate in the democratic process through voting.

2012 Presidential Election Information

      04/03/2012 Primary Election
      11/06/2012 General Election 

Voter Registration Materials 

Any documents relevant to voter registration or absentee ballot requests can be dropped off at the offices of The Center for the Study of Democracy in Kent Hall 103 and 105.

To learn more about registering to vote in Maryland, visit the

State Board of Elections website.

Maryland Voter Registration Form

Absentee Ballot Forms

Information for Students enrolled in Maryland State Institutions

Fall 2010

St. Mary's Votes! worked to get the incoming freshman class and any non - registered students from Maryland and out of state registered to vote. Working in tandem with the Center for the Study of Democracy, St. Mary's Votes! made significant progress in its 2010 recruiting drive. As of September 21, 2010, St. Mary's Votes! had received 130 New Voter Applications and 125 Absentee Ballot Requests. 

Fall 2008

The St. Mary's Votes! team was active in registering new voters for the 2008 Presidential Election, though booths during lunch and dinners at the Campus Center, tables at the Giant Food in California, Maryland, "dorm storms" in on - campus housing, and numerous other events across campus to make their mission known. This year the team also took their roll in civic engagement to a new level. Members of the team began training to work as election judges and poll workers during the elections.

Spring 2008

I the spring of 2008, the St. Mary's Votes team worked to register approximately 200 students for the Presidential Primary Election in February. The club set up booths in the Campus Center during lunch and dinners, performed dorm storms, and held separate events and meetings to encourage students to register to vote. In addition to registering students to vote, the students involved in the club also worked at the polls during primary elections. Ten students from the St. Mary's Votes! team were trained by the St. Mary's County Board of Elections to work during the primary election.

2006

Led by four students:Rahul Bhanot ('07 Columbia, MD) Julian Brunner ('07 Takoma Park) Kerry Crawford ('07 Towson, MD) and Eric Hoffman ('08 Baltimore, MD), St. Mary's Votes! registered more than 200 St. Mary's College of Maryland students prior to the 2006 elections. Fall events included political and cultural activities designed to get students to register to vote and then to the polls on Primary Election and General Election Days.

2004

In 2004 the St. Mary's Votes! team registered 420 young people (18-24 years old) to vote before the 2004 presidential elections. The project focused its attention on getting the 1900 students at St. Mary's College of Maryland to register and to the polls to cast ballots. A fall 2004 poll of St. Mary's College students found political involvement on the rise.

The newly registered students came from 21 of Maryland's 23 counties and its independent city, Baltimore City. As Co - Director Yaron Miller (Baltimore, MD '05) has noted, "Only good things can happen for students when we use our voice and ballot." Ramtin Arabluoei ('05 Germantown, MD), who is also a co - director of the voter registration drive added, "St. Mary's students have an obligation to stand up and be counted."