Post on 21-Jan-2017
Technology and Civic Engagement
Increasing youth voter registration and democratic participation in
2016
• Youth vote matters • Barriers to youth participation• Our solution• Technology & civic engagement • Breakouts/discussion
The Plan
Why does youth civic engagement matter?
Youth voting is important!• Young people are a major subset of the voting-
eligible population and their voices matter: In 2012 youth (18-29) made up 19% of the electorate.
• Returning voters turn out at higher rates. Engaging college student ensures the future of democratic participation.
• Election-related activities for young people can indirectly affect the behavior of others in their environment.
The “Youth Vote” in 2016• “Millennials” (18-34) say they want to vote in 2016.
• A Fusion poll found that 77% of millennials are “absolutely certain” or “very likely” to vote this year.
• The number of youth votes more than tripled in Mississippi (14,000 in 2008 to 49,000 in 2016) and Nebraska (5,000 in 2008 to 16,000 in 2016)
• Iowa: 15% of total caucus goers were youths, and 2016 set a record for Republican youth turnout.
• New Hampshire: 42% of all youth (18-29) NH residents voted tying turnout levels in 2008 primary; that’s more than 88,000 young people
• New York: An estimated 408,000 young people (18-29) cast ballots in New York, making up 15% of all voters in the state primary, surpassing youth turnout in 2008 by almost 100,000 votes.
But historically, young people vote at the lowest
rates…
18-24 18-29
25+ 30+
So, why don’t young people vote?
Don’t they care?
Source: CIRCLE; Research gathered by Pew Center for the People and the Press
“Giving Thought to the Election”
59%“Quite a lot”
28%“Following election news very closely”
2/3 of college students (18-24) who did not vote in 2010
cited lack of information about process, not lack of
interest.SOURCE: CIRCLE
More than 40% of youth voters don’t know key process information
Key Takeaways• The process is complicated! And varies
substantially from state to state.
• Giving students information about how, when, and where to vote is key to increasing participation.
• Providing this information for local elections is particularly important.
TurboVote
Since 2012, TurboVote has partnered with over 250 colleges and universities and served more than
325,000 voters.
The TurboVote toolmakes it easyto provide people with the information & materials they need to vote in every election
Our system manages personal election calendars for all of our users. We track:
• Registration & absentee voting requirements for all 50 states, so we can keep users up-to-date with location-specific election information
• Dates and deadlines for national, state and local elections
When users need to register or request a vote-by-mail ballot, we send them their pre-
filled forms, with stamped, addressed envelopes.
TurboVote sends text and email reminders with important
dates and deadlines.
…So our users never miss another election.
Voter TurnoutFor users registered with TurboVote in 2012
Implementation
Bottlenecks:On-The-Ground Online
On-the-GroundTablingFind an active, high-traffic area on campusSet up laptops/smartphones open to TurboVoteGrab items: food, accessories, stickers, swag
EventsAdd TurboVote to already existing campus eventsHost new events to implement TurboVote NVRD, anyone?!
OrientationLarge population of students already thereJust moved/changed addressMight have recently turned 18/about to turn 18
OnlineEmail BlastsSend from university presidents/deans to the student body Emphasize urgency and importance of registering to vote and voting
Campus ComputersPlace calls-to-action on university computers, so whenever a student logs onto the network, they have to acknowledge the call
Student PortalsPlace calls-to-action or links on high- traffic student websites, like LMSs and/or academic portals
Computer Card Initiative
• Business card-sized sign was printed, cut out and delivered to a person in each building on campus.
• They were attached to the monitors on the computers in each lab - over 1000 computers!
• Only cost ~$26 in removable adhesive dots, toner, cardstock, scissors - and a lot of counting! About 4 hours of work total.
Top AdministratorsSend the email from the President or Dean
Specific Subject LineUse a specific and action-oriented subject line.
Mass EmailsShortKeep it brief!
Insert linksPlace the link to your co-branded TurboVote site early in your email.
Follow UpSend a follow-up email that conveys a senseof urgency (match with upcoming deadline).
Social Media FacebookPromote through Official University page, Student Government page, College Republicans/Democrats, etc.
Create Facebook Events to promote in-person events, process related deadlines, etc.
TwitterShort, simple, trendy: @TurboVote, always share link.
Campaign IdeasCompetitions between student groups (use referral codes), photo based campaigns, live-tweeting civic engagement events/debates
Lone Star Collegevia Oracle PeopleSoft
Indiana State Universityvia MyISU
Kutztown University via D2L, KU’s learning management system
Integrating voter engagement into mandatory student “check in” process
Breakout Discussions• What does voter registration and engagement
look like on your campus?
What do you do on campus that might be unique? Why do these strategies/tactics work well on your campus?
• Identify the following if you were to pursue an IT integration on campus:
The whoThe whatThe when The whyThe how
Integrate• School-wide email
• Social Media
• Course curriculum
• Standard student processes such as:– Course registration– ID card – Move in packets– Freshman orientation– Email login – FYE courses
Civic Engagement at Stetson University
Veronica Hernandez, Center for Community Engagement
Implementation Tactics● One-stop election website for students to use for
voter registration, education, engagement and turnout
● Team of student volunteers conduct voter registration, education, engagement and turnout operations, called Stetson Votes!
● Incorporation into first-year orientation, some classes and residence halls
● In 2016… ○ Organizing Stetson Votes team around residence
halls as their “turf” ○ Email and Facebook-based targeting for
commuters○ Working to integrate into all first-year seminars
Measuring Stetson’s Success
● Campus GOTV using a shared campus-wide student database
● NSLVE data from CIRCLE/Tufts○ NSLVE: National Study of Learning, Voting and
Engagement
● In 2012… ○ Stetson’s voter turnout rate: 54.5% ○ Students who used TurboVote voted at a rate that was
5.6% higher than non-TurboVote users○ Students who registered to vote using their on-campus
address voted at a rate that was 18.1% higher than off-campus/back-at-home users
Civic Engagement at Kutztown University
Implementation Tactics• Promote TurboVote at community events • Set up info tables at student union & dining
halls
• Send regular messages about the importance of voting
• SGB hosts a popular registration day event
• Only students who sign up for TurboVote can vote in homecoming election
Computer Card Initiative
• Business card-sized sign was printed, cut out and delivered to a person in each building on campus.
• They were attached to the monitors on the computers in each lab - over 1000 computers!
• Only cost ~$26 in removable adhesive dots, toner, cardstock, scissors - and a lot of counting! About 4 hours of work total.
Signs of Success
• Significant turnout at polling locations that serve students
• In 2012, nearly 1.5K students signed up. – 1,063 for voter registration– 662 for absentee ballot requests
• Awarded grant from Pennsylvania Campus Compact