Election Resources

Faculty and Staff Resources to Support Students' Voter Engagement

In 2020 the national student voting rate increased to 66% from 52% in 2016. Students’ unprecedented turnout was close to the national voting rate of 67%. When faculty provide concrete steps around voting and help students make plans to vote, students are more likely to turn out.

Most college students are young, have little or no history of voting, and are residentially mobile, which works against their rates of voter registration and voter turnout. Studies show that encouragement from faculty, staff, and other students makes a significant difference in their student registration and turnout (Bennion and Nickerson, 2016; DellaVigna, List, Malmendier and Rao, 2016; Gerber and Rogers, 2009). Encouraging students to engage in the democratic process is a non-partisan activity.

Use this faculty guide to bring voter registration, education and voter turnout information directly into the classroom.

Voter Registration

Setting aside time in class to talk about the importance and process of registering, as well as providing time for students to register, is even more important than ever before.

• Share the niu.edu/Huskies-Vote, for voter registration assistance, researching ballot and FAQ.
• Include information about voting and civic engagement in Blackboard announcements – deadlines, resources for finding registration and mail-in ballot information.
• Huskies Vote – Use pre-made PowerPoint slides with essential information.
• Show or share the following brief videos on how to vote by mail: How Do I Vote by Mail?; Voting by Mail: Myths vs Facts
• ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge created a living document, Nonpartisan Messaging and Tools, with multiple nonpartisan resources, including template emails, and language to include in your class communication.
• Consider framing language in your syllabus, such as:

In a democracy, a government is chosen by voting to elect representatives to make policy and enforce laws while representing the citizens. The Northern Illinois University encourages eligible students to exercise their right to vote, and students of all citizenship backgrounds to actively engage in issues of public concern. When more people participate, a broader array of perspectives is represented in policies and laws that impact our country, society and the world. You can register to vote at go.niu.edu/Huskies-Vote.

Voter Education

Set aside time to discuss civic learning and democratic engagement in your classroom. When faculty connect elections and voting directly to policies that intersect with course content, it provides the additional "why" we vote.

• Voting module - resources that incorporate nonpartisan voter engagement directly into your curriculum. Project Pericles has several voting modules that faculty can utilize to fit their classroom needs, ranging from a deliberative dialogue framework to information on why voting matters, and a tool to teach students how to vote. Project Pericles also manages a searchable database showcasing how faculty have used the modules across majors.
• Why vote - background readings about why student voting matters and the role of higher education in this effort. 
• Scholars Strategy Network is a national membership organization of college- and university-based researchers interested in improving policy and strengthening democracy. They have created a faculty guide to student voting in the classroom that is inclusive of registration information, educational tools, and mobilization resources.
• Living room conversations – conversation guides for classroom/program discussions
• Voting rates - student registration and voting rates on your campus
• Mobilizing the margins - impact of students' votes
• Are you hosting an event related to civic engagement or voting? Help us track our progress in reaching our ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge goals by completing the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge event tracking form.