To: The Wellesley College Community
From: Courtney Coile, Provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College; Sheilah Shaw Horton, Vice President and Dean of Students; and Carolyn Slaboden, Chief Human Resources Officer
Re: Voting and Political Campaign-Related Activity
Date: September 17, 2026
To honor Constitution Day’s emphasis on civic engagement and education, especially during the United States’ 250th anniversary, we wanted to follow up on President Johnson’s email about the importance of voting with some reminders.
All community members who are eligible to vote can visit WellesleyVotes for important information in advance of the upcoming election, Tuesday, Nov. 3. The site provides access to resources like TurboVote.org, which offers personalized guidance on how to register, vote, and set up reminders.
Students with the Committee for Political Engagement (CPE) are providing general voter registration support alongside notaries who can endorse mail-in or absentee ballots during special hours in the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center through Oct 22. You can find these information tables on Tuesdays from 4:10 p.m.–5:20 p.m. (in the 2nd floor vendor area) and on Thursdays, 12:45 p.m.–2:10 p.m. (in the 4th floor vendor area).
You can explore what’s happening on campus around related topics and issues by browsing upcoming events.
Political Campaign-Related Activity
While Wellesley encourages everyone in our community to actively participate in the political process as individuals, as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization Wellesley is prohibited by federal law from participating in political campaign-related activities. Therefore, Wellesley’s faculty, staff, and students should only engage in political campaign-related activities in a way that makes clear that you are acting in your personal capacity, not on behalf of the College.
Please adhere to the following guidelines:
College facilities, resources, and platforms may not be used in connection with political campaign-related activity, including fundraising, organizing, or otherwise supporting any candidate for public office, political party, or ballot initiative.
Wellesley College’s name and trademarks should not be used in a way that suggests the College endorses or opposes a particular political candidate, party, or ballot initiative.
Your Wellesley College position or title should generally not be shared in campaign-related solicitations or speaking engagements. If referenced, it should be accompanied by a clear statement that the views expressed are personal and not those of the College.
Candidates may be invited to campus to speak to promote their candidacy if and only if all other candidates in the same race are offered an equal opportunity to come to campus; the event encourages academic engagement and does not include fundraising; and an explicit statement is made that the College takes no position with regard to the candidate.
Recognized student organizations affiliated with political parties may not engage in political fundraising activities. For other political activities, they should seek the guidance of the Office of Student Involvement.
These are the basic guidelines related to the types of campus political campaign-related activities that are permissible and prohibited. To understand how this guidance might pertain to you, we encourage you to consult the American Council on Education’s guidance on political activity.