Civic Engagement – Julie Silverbrook's Blog

Last week I posted about a new app called Carpool2Vote connecting voters in need of a ride to the polls with volunteer drivers. Carpool2Vote is now collaborating with a new civic engagement initiative called Walk2Vote.

Walk2Vote is

a civic engagement initiative that has grown from a local campus program to a national model for student civic organizing. The model is a guide that will walk students through the process of planning their own civic engagement program on their campus that will include: voter deputy training (if required by state law), marketing campaigns, voter registration campaigns, funding resources, civic research, registration/voter turnout contests and a celebratory event which includes musical performances, keynote speakers and concludes with everyone walking to vote en masse (subject to local and state voting laws). Through gaining knowledge, deliberating upon the issues, and exercising the right to vote that people gain a voice in the trajectory of the country. Once people are engaged, they begin to take a deeper interest in the problems that plague the nation and consider solutions.

The initiative is created, organized, and led by students.

“The goal of the this initiative is very simple,” said John Locke, UHD student and Chair of the Houston Local and National Walk2Vote. “Our mission is to inspire people to vote. Civic engagement and getting involved in democracy are very important, but it’s not happening as much as it should. Walk2Vote is about encouraging citizens to participate in the process. The idea . . . is for Walk2Vote to . . . connect and empower young voters.”

I’m inspired by this student-led initiative and hope you will be too. Check out the Walk2Vote website and encourage young people in your network to get involved!

In 2012, only half of 18-to-25-year-olds eligible to vote made it to the polls, compared with 72 percent of the elderly, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

There’s a great new organization, America’s Mock Election, aimed at preparing young people to vote before they turn 18, and I’m proud to be involved with what they are doing.

Here’s more information about the group –

The mission of America’s Mock Election is to make significant strides in creating the most comprehensive and powerful student-voter education experiences for presidential and local political races for 2016 and beyond.

America’s Mock Election founder Gerard Ferri is dedicated to creating a dynamic election program that will ignite an emotional spark and lead students towards a lifetime of voting. Ferri has experience with youth and mock elections, having run a similar campaign in 1992 with CNN.

This time around, Ferri is partnering with the University of Virginia’s Youth Leadership Initiative. The university’s Center for Politics is widely recognized as a leader in political analysis, as well as civic education, and its Youth Leadership Initiative boasts over 70,000 registered educators and provides an annual mock election that is second to none.

The 2016 National Mock Election will open its polls on Monday, Oct. 17. Polls will remain open through 5 p.m. EST on Oct. 27. You can register your students here.

Once polls have closed, the results will be sent to America’s Mock Election, where they will be used to produce a nationally broadcast online program to be shown in classrooms across the nation. The UVA Center for Politics’ Youth Leadership Initiative will provide curriculum materials, including lesson plans comparing the candidates, downloadable decorations, and a customizable ballot for all registered teachers. The ballot will include the offices of president and vice president, U.S. House and Senate, and all gubernatorial races. Teachers can add local races and referenda to make the experience more complete.

On October 28, I will co-host the nationally broadcast online results show. I’m very interested to see how our young citizens vote in this year’s election! I’ll provide a weblink to the results show as soon as it is available.

Julie Silverbrook's Blog

Blogging about the constitution, civic and constitutional literacy, and our nation's history

Tag: Civic Engagement

Walk2Vote: A New Civic Engagement Initiative Created, Organized and Led by Students

America’s Mock Election: Empowering Young Citizens to Vote