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WASHINGTON — Fair Elections Center's Campus Vote Project praised a new “Toolkit for the Promotion of Voter Participation for Students,” which shares resources with schools to help support students with voter registration and civic engagement opportunities. The toolkit includes legal requirements that educational institutions must follow, nonpartisan ways that schools can involve their students in voting, examples of effective case studies from schools across the country, and what federal resources are available as tools for schools to share.
The release of the toolkit follows President Biden’s “Promoting Access to Voting” executive order, which urged federal agencies to make an effort to expand information about voter registration and civic engagement participation. The Campus Vote Project has been a major advocate for the Executive Order and the toolkit, emphasizing that our democracy functions best when every eligible voter can cast their ballot easily and without having to overcome unnecessary hurdles. Historically, there has been a significant lack of election systems designed to meet student voters where they are, which directly harms students of all backgrounds and political affiliations. The student voter toolkit is a decisive step in making clear what nonpartisan steps schools can take to make voting more accessible to students.
“We are thrilled that the U.S. Department of Education has released such a comprehensive guide of resources for schools to support student voters,” said Mike Burns, National Director of Fair Elections Center's Campus Vote Project. “Young voter participation is essential to the health of our democracy. Students are our nation’s future leaders, and research shows that when young people start voting early on, it becomes a lifelong habit. Our institutions, from the federal government to our local schools, have a civic purpose to fulfill by providing students with the resources necessary to help them build informed civic habits that benefit us all.”
Contact media@fairelectionscenter.org to coordinate an interview with Mike for additional comment.