Carnegie Mellon University
October 21, 2024

Join us for Democracy Day on November 5

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community: 

I am pleased to invite you to CMU’s Democracy Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. Democracy Day is an opportunity to underscore our shared institutional commitment to civic service and democracy on Election Day. This year, our efforts are focused on events leading up to the election and providing resources for CMU voters. Several activities and events are planned across campus leading up to Democracy Day, focusing on civic engagement, education and action. A full list of events is available on the Democracy Day website

There are no classes on Democracy Day prior to 5 p.m., and the entire CMU community — faculty, staff and students — is encouraged to use this time to volunteer at the polls, meaningfully engage with their communities and participate in on-campus programming as their schedules allow. Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to vote on Nov. 5. As a reminder, today is the deadline for voter registration in Pennsylvania

Additionally, as part of the Deeper Conversation series, you are invited to register for Cyber-Enabled Nation-State Influence Operations: Are Russia, China and Iran Interfering in the U.S. Election? on Oct. 28. This session aligns with the themes of Democracy Day and will examine recent evidence of nation-state interference in U.S. elections and discuss strategies to protect our democratic process from these threats.

I thank the Democracy Day committee for their thoughtful planning in developing a series of opportunities for our community to engage in meaningful discussion, learning and engagement. I also thank supervisors for their support in providing reasonable flexibility and accommodations on Election Day. Faculty and staff will receive a message from HR with additional guidance on Election Day flexibility in the coming days.

Sincerely,

James H. Garrett Jr.
Provost and Chief Academic Officer