Voting is Social Work
As part of BUSSW’s work on anti-racist activism, we work to facilitate voter registration, voting rights efforts, and safe voting for our school community by partnering with voting groups including BU Votes, Civic Health Month, Vot-ER, and Voting is Social Work.
BUSSW is committed to:
- ENGAGE students, faculty, staff and partner agencies by raising awareness about the importance of voting and its connection to social work practice
- EDUCATE students and partner agencies on voter engagement and voting rights activities
- REGISTER students, faculty, staff, partner agency colleagues, clients, and communities
- ENSURE that all people served by social workers are able to VOTE
Join Us!
Faculty, staff and students are invited and encouraged to join BUSSW Votes. Email Diane Crowley at crowleyd@bu.edu to learn more.
Get Involved
Help ensure you and those around you can vote safely this year:
- Order a free Healthy Democracy Kit to join other social workers and healthcare providers in registering patients/clients, staff, friends and family to vote before Election Day
- Add the safe voting email signature to your emails
- Follow Civic Health Month, Vot-ER and Voting is Social Work to stay up to date with the latest information and updates.
Voting by mail & absentee voting:
- USA.gov Mail-In Absentee Ballot Overview – Includes information about how some states are changing their processes and allowing mail-in or absentee ballots
- Vote.org Absentee Ballot Deadlines – State-by-state deadlines to apply for an absentee ballot
- “Acceptable Excuses” for Absentee Voting – Some states have “no-excuse absentee” voting, which means any voter can request a mail ballot without providing an excuse; others only permit certain voters to request an absentee ballot by mail, based on an “excuse” of why that voter can’t make it to the polls on Election Day. This webpage summarizes acceptable excuses. (Note: The table has not been updated since April 2020; please refer to each state’s website for updates.)
Additional Resources
- Rock The Vote: How To Vote – Register to vote, check your registration, and find important deadlines
- Rock The Vote: Voting Information – Contains state-by-state information
- Voter Information from the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts – Government website (sec.state.ma.us)
- League of Women Voters of Massachusetts
- ACLU: Voting Rights – Information about voter suppression by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
- Fair Fight – Organization led by Stacey Abrams promoting fair elections
- Voting Is Social Work
- NCSL Early Voting Information – State-by-state early voting policies
- Civic Health Month: An Expert’s Advocacy Guide