About DEMOCRACY DAY

stanford's annual day of civic service

In the Spring of 2021, the Faculty Senate voted to acknowledge the importance of democracy and engagement by designating Election Day (the Tuesday after the first Monday of November) a non-instructional day, and a university-wide academic holiday. To recognize that civic engagement isn't restricted to electoral participation, Democracy Day is held annually, even in years without American presidential elections.

Democracy Day is meant to encourage voting, participation, civic engagement, dialogue, community-building, and reflection on the role of public service in your life and the lives of others.

news about the day

Time Out ("Deliberation Nation," Stanford Magazine)
Democracy is dying in politics and journalism, Stanford professors say (Stanford Daily)
Stanford students and professors anticipate University’s inaugural Democracy Day (Stanford Daily)
Host of events mark Stanford’s first Democracy Day on Nov. 2 – Election Day (Stanford Report)
Making the most of Stanford’s new academic holiday, Democracy Day (Stanford Report)
Election Day Is Now A Holiday At Stanford. What Does This Mean For The University Community? (Stanford Daily)
Lobbying for an Election Day holiday (Cardinal Service)
The Push to Make Future Election Days a Day of Civic Service (McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society)

"It felt like a lot of campus civic culture was lost over the pandemic—it was inspiring to see so many people excited again about events built around democracy and our shared civic duty."

Senior, 2022