ServiceVote is YSA's U.S. election-year campaign to engage young people, ages 5-25, in the political process by connecting with their peers, voters, and candidates. Designed for both voting age and non-voting age youth, ServiceVote challenges young people to learn more about our government and political system and to think critically about how they can affect the issues that they work to address through service during elections.
>>> See a list of election resources for educators!
ServiceVote 12 for '12: How Youth Can Get Involved & Serve This Election Season
- Conduct voter registration drives.
- Educate voters by developing voter guides.
- Educate voters and engage candidates about an issue you care about.
- Host a convention or debate watch.
- Organize a debate, forum, or town hall.
- Host a Service Stop to engage candidates.
- Organize Get-Out-The-Vote activities.
- Hold mock elections to teach younger students about the electoral process.
- Become a citizen journalist and make your voice heard during the election.
- Volunteer for campaigns.
- Serve as poll workers or election judges on Election Day.
- Vote.
Election Resources for Educators
The following websites provide tons of great election-related lessons, activities,and resources to help you plan an election-related service-learing activity:
- iCivics
- Rock the Vote Democracy Class
- Center for Civic Education
- C-SPAN Classroom
- Election Lesson Plans Page
- Center for Action Civics
- New York Times Learning Network
- Engage 2012
- Cable in the Classroom's eLECTIONS: Your Adventure in Politics
- Scholastic's Elections: Everything You Need
- New York News Publishers Association Voting! Make Informed Choices and Vote 2012: An Election Scrapbook
- PBS News Hour Extras including Listen To Me and Understanding and Hosting a Post-Presidential Debate
ServiceVote 12 for '12: How Youth Can Get Involved & Serve This Election Season
- Conduct voter registration drives.
No one can vote without being registered to vote. Some states offer same-day registration, but in most places, you have to register at least 30 days before the election. Each state also has its own rules about how to register and identification required to register.
Start by making sure your family, friends, and neighbors are registered to vote.
Spread the word online encouraging your social network to register.
If you're really into getting people registered, organize a voter registration drive.
Voter Registration Resources
ServiceVote: "Register" Tipsheet
Rock The Vote: Online Registration Tool & Voter Registration Partner Sign-Up
Rock The Vote Democracy Class: How to Run Your Own Voter Registration Drive
Nonprofit VOTE: Voter Registration Toolkit
League of Women Voters: High School Voter Registration Training Manual & Lesson Plan
Campus Election Engagement Project: Voter Registration Resources
Campus Vote Project: Barriers to College Student Registration & Voting
Campus Vote Project: Voter Registration Blitzes (page 13)
Project Vote: Youth Registration Toolkit
- Educate voters by developing voter guides.
One of the best ways to motivate people to register and vote is to
educate them about who is running and how their vote might affect the issues
that they care about!
One of the easiest ways to educate voters is to develop and distribute voter guides focused on the issues you care about.
Voter Guides Resources
League of Women Voters: Voter Guide Manual & Voters' Guides Best Practices
Nonprofit VOTE: Voter Guides
League of Young Voters: The Ballot
- Educate voters and engage candidates about an issue you care about.
Elections present a unique opportunity to raise public awareness about the issues you care about and to advocate for policies you think candidates (who will become elected officials) should support.
Learn where the candidates stand on the issues; share this information with your fellow citizens and join with them to discuss these issues with candidates.
Issue Awareness Resources
ServiceVote: Educate Voters Tipsheet
ServiceVote: Engage Candidates Tipsheet
Campus Election Engagement Project: Voter Education Resources
Nonprofit VOTE: A Voter Participation Starter Kit (see pages 14-17)
MTV: Power of 12
Project Vote Smart
Vote411.org: On Your Ballot
Vote iQ
- Host a convention or debate watch.
Millions of people watch the national political conventions and the Presidential debates. Your local TV and radio stations will often air U.S. Senate, U.S. House, or Governor debates. Public access stations might air debates with candidates for city, county, school district, or state legislature offices.
These moments "when everybody is watching" are great opportunities to organize a discussion with others about the issues important to you.
Debate Watch Resources
ServiceVote: Debate Party Tipsheet
League of Women Voters: Debate Watch 101
Commission on Presidential Debates: How to Host a Debate Watch
- Attend or organize a debate, forum, or town hall.
Debates and forums are structured events in which candidates are invited to speak before an audience about a specific set of issues.
These events provide an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates on the issues you care about.
Debate Resources
League of Women Voters: Candidates Debates/Forums/Fairs Resources
Nonprofit VOTE: Hosting a Candidate Forum
Commission on Presidential Debates: Guide to Hosting Your Own Debate
- Host a Service Stop to engage candidates.
Candidates campaign all over the community - why not invite them to participate in a service project or visit your group/organization while they're campaigning?
By engaging a candidate in a service project or a visit to your program site, you begin to build a relationship with the candidate and can include a discussion around the issues related to the service project.
Service Stop Resources
ServiceVote: Service Stop Tipsheet
YSA: Global Youth Service Day Toolkit (Use to plan the service project.)
- Organize Get-Out-The-Vote activities.
GOTV – or Get Out the Vote—is your chance to make sure that people get to the polls on Election Day or submit absentee ballots. By following up with people, knocking on their doors or phoning them before and the day of the election, or offering rides or directions to the polls, you greatly increase the likelihood that they will actually vote.
Even if you can’t vote yourself, help remind other people about the importance of going to the polls on Election Day!
Get Out The Vote Resources
ServiceVote: Get Out The Vote Tipsheet
New Organizing Institute: Get Out The Vote Resource Center
Wellstone Action!: Get Out The Vote
Nonprofit VOTE: Get Out The Vote
Minnesota Participation Project: Voter Mobilization Guides
- Hold mock elections to teach younger students about the electoral process.
Mock elections can be a really exciting way to teach younger students all about elections and our government - and get them excited to vote for real when they're old enough.
Mock Election Resources
ServiceVote Mock Elections Tipsheet
Kids Voting USA
Youth Leadership Initiative Mock Election Program
- Become a citizen journalist and make your voice heard during the election.
Use the power of the media to share your perspectives on the election, the candidates, and the issues you care about.
Write letters to the editor, post blogs, create videos, share your views on social media, and spread your message!
Media Resources
Spark Action: Find Local Media & Tools for Reaching the Media
Generation Opportunity: Media Training Guides
PBS You.edit the.News
Global Action Project: Media in Action Curriculum
GYSD Toolkit: Spreading the Word
- Volunteer for campaigns.
Working with a campaign is a great way to make sure your voice is heard while
getting a first-hand look at the political process.
Campaigns are always in need of help in the form of supporters, volunteers, and interns, and there are jobs for everyone. No experience is necessary, since training will be provided on the job.
Volunteering for Campaigns Resources
ServiceVote: Volunteer Tipsheet
Find out how to volunteer with the Obama-Biden campaign, the Romney-Ryan campaign, the Young Democrats, the Young Republicans, the College Democrats, or the College Republicans. (There are lots of other political parties, too. Find out more about them and how you can get involved at Project Vote Smart.)
Don't have the time to volunteer? Donating (or getting other people to donate) to a candidate you support, showing your support (with a button, lawn sign, bumper sticker, etc), or just telling other people about the candidates you support and why are great ways to help support campaigns!
- Serve as poll workers or election judges on Election Day.
There are often shortages of volunteers to serve as election judges. With the increasing prevalence of electronic voting machines, it is especially important to have younger election judges who are familiar with technology.
41 states allow high school students to serve as poll workers or election judges. Since many polling locations are in schools anyway, it's a great opportunity for students to volunteer during the election.
Poll Worker Resources
ServiceVote: Work The Polls Tipsheet
Nonprofit Vote: Be a Poll Worker
Election Assistance Commission: Become a Poll Worker
Election Assistance Commission: A Guidebook for Recruiting College Poll Workers
Do an online search for "student election judge + your state".
Students can also help monitor polling locations, and help voters who might have questions or have been disenfranchised by helping them call 1-866-OUR-VOTE. Learn about some of the issues voters might face at the polls and resources available to help at Election Protection.
- Vote.
46 million young people ages 18-29 years old are eligible to vote, while 39 million seniors are eligible to vote. Young people (18-29) make up 24% of the voting eligible population. Youth voter turnout rose to 51 percent in 2008; however, youth voter turnout still lags behind turnout of those over 30 years old.
So, if you're eligible to vote, go vote!
Voting Resources
ServiceVote: Vote Tipsheet
Register to vote below.
Find your polling place, get to know your ballot, and go vote!
ServiceVote is a program of YSA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. ServiceVote activities are nonpartisan and limited to the election-related activities allowed under YSA’s 501(c)3 status.
