Over the last few months, I have often wished that I had an informal, easy way to communicate with the Princeton community.  I hope that this blog will meet that need.  Posts will typically be brief, topical, and unbound by any publication schedule:  I’ll rely on the University’s social media channels to let you know when I’ve posted something new.

Today, I want to join with the Princeton students in Vote100 to urge all of you to vote.  If you’ve already cast your ballot:  congratulations, and thank you for upholding Princeton’s commitment to service.  If you’ve not done so:  make a specific plan about when and how you will cast your ballot.  Without a plan, it’s just too easy to forget, or to find yourself unexpectedly busy.  This is a pivotal election, and I hope that all of you will make your voices heard.

Because this election takes place in the midst of a pandemic, we also need to prepare in another way.  During last Saturday’s Forward Fest virtual conference, several Princeton faculty members stressed that some states will need extra time to process the unusual number of mail-in ballots received in this election.  Though I suspect that all of us will want to know who wins on election night, we should be ready for the possibility that it takes days, or longer, to count all the votes and identify the winner.

This year has challenged all of us in ways we couldn’t have imagined back in January.  That extends to our politics, where many Princetonians have put their passions and talents to work for candidates and causes in which they believe.  No matter what happens on Election Day, we are here to support you, and we will continue to press forward as a community to meet the challenges ahead.