Best Practices/Election ideas from Individual Campuses Nationwide

Over 45 campuses nationwide, including Elon University, UNC Charlotte and Wake Technical Community College, are using TurboVote to inspire voter registration and participation.  A few national  examples include: 

Gallaudet University
Harvard University
University of Miami

Berea College (KY) will promote voter registration at multiple events throughout the fall, including a 5K walk.   They will also host debate watch parties and provide an Election Day Shuttle to transport students to the polls. 

Several campuses including Bowling Green State University (OH), Emory University (GA), and the University of Dayton (OH) have created webpages highlighting faculty with election-related expertise 

http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/mc/media_room/page109144.html

http://news.emory.edu/tags/topic/elections/index.html

http://www.udayton.edu/news/election2012/index.php

College of Charleston (SC) the Dean of Students posted a resource page on their website to encourage student voting. 

http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/voter-registration/index.php 

DC Students Speak (DC) A grassroots coalition of students representing seven campuses in D.C.  working together to engage students in electoral politics and advocate for specific policies that impact students.  http://dcstudentsspeak.org/

Elon University (NC) hosts an Elon University and the 2012 Elections website that serves as a hub of stories, resources, information and more for students, faculty and staff searching for ways to get involved in the political process, journalists seeking expert commentary, and citizens who want to learn more about the political forces shaping their lives.

High Point University (NC) facilitates several election related efforts:

• The Democracy USA project, an interdisciplinary and experiential learning exercise that draws together over 20 faculty, nine courses, and 300 students with civic engagement opportunities.
   
• The American Dream Project is a student driven volunteer project focused on the areas of Jobs, Healthcare, Housing, Education, Philanthropy, Volunteerism, Diversity, Civility, Politics and Veterans. It includes an 8-episode reality TV show, a Town Hall Meeting and a colloquium designed as a Reunion Show. Students who participate in the project will also travel to both the Democratic and the Republican national conventions in the summer of 2012. The Democracy USA Project is committed to extending the college education from the classroom into the community and in the formation of critical thinking, civic-minded students.
   
• Their online student newspaper The Campus Chronicle hosts an an Election 2012 blog. 

Hobart and William Smith Colleges (NY) coordinates HWS Votes  a non-partisan group of student leaders devoted to voter registration and the continuous education of the Hobart and William Smith and Geneva communities. They also participate in TurboVote.  Check out their video below.

George Mason University (VA) facilitates Mason Votes a website run by the Office of Student Media to help cover local and national elections.

Kutztown University (PA) is part of the College Election Poll Worker Initiative, a collaboration between Kutztown and the Berks County Election Offices. They are partnering to recruit and train college students for appointment as election workers. The partnership is designed to motivate  students to be involved in the electoral process.   KU students interested in applying for appointment as a poll worker must be a registered voter in Berks County, complete an application form and attend a mandatory training class.

Miami Dade College's (FL) Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy (iCED) had 4000 “This is Why I Vote”  buttons made.  They put their office’s logo on top and put a blank white part on the  bottom of the button. Students, faculty, and staff simply write in why they are going to vote with a permanent marker.  The cost was about .25/button for regular order and .33/button for a rush order received in ~four days. 

They ordered their buttons from the company below, but I’m sure any similar company can make this: http://24hourwristbands.com/buttons/  Cost: 3” buttons -- $760 for 3000 buttons delivered in two weeks; $331 for 1000 buttons rush ordered delivered in ~four days.

Here is a poster they made that shows you what the buttons look like (again, the actual button’s white area is blank).  They are disseminating them at special events, voter registration rallies, civic dialogues, etc.

Nazareth College (NY) hosts two Election Fellows.  The program is funded by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC). The program selects two Election Fellows from each area college to recruit 250 students to work the polls on Election Day in November. The University of Rochester was one of 15 sites awarded a grant by the EAC in 2010, and invited other area colleges including St. John Fisher College, Roberts Wesleyan College, Monroe Community College, and Nazareth College to participate, as well.

UNC Charlotte (NC) as part of the Campus Vote Project, has created a comprehensive election-related website through their library.  They also launched the 49er Democracy Experience drawing on the energy and opportunities available as Charlotte hosted the national presidential nominating convention.  The Experience brings together expert faculty, civic-minded students and community partners to develop educational programming to enhance the public understanding of and participation in our nation’s democratic process.

Western Carolina University's (NC)  launched the Cullowhee Voter Initiative in February 2012, a nonpartisan effort to improve voter education and participation in Jackson County.  See several articles below.

•Effort to Increase Voter Participation Gets Underway
•WCU Students Launch Voter Initiative

Western Kentucky University (KY)  launched the Political Engagement Project (PEP) to engage students in the upcoming election.  Below are some of the activities connected to the initiative.

• Created the “What’s Your Tag” campaign inviting students and others to use @WhatsUrTag and #whatsurtag and to join the Twitter conversation as they follow activities related to the 2012 election.
• Hosted a kickoff event with music, information from political parties and tie-dye T-shirts WKU students and faculty are also attending the Republican and Democratic conventions.
• Constitution Week activities Sept. 17-21, which will include a “WhatsUrTag?” workshop on the role of graphic and visual art in popular culture.
• National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 25, which will include Rock the Vote, voter registration, information from candidates, music, entertainment and more.
• A visit to the National Constitution Museum in Philadelphia
• Vice Presidential Debate at Centre College in Danville
• Debate Watch activities on WKU’s campus
• Freedom Sings, a musical and multimedia presentation about the First Amendment
• A Life in Politics: John Rowley, a presentation by the WKU graduate and partner in Fletcher Rowley Consulting Firm
•Kentucky Engagement Conference participation

Western Washington University's (WA) Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/wwuceep