CMU is a school that votes.

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CMU, the Leadership Institute, Safari, and IMPACT believe promoting a spirit of civic engagement on Central’s campus is critical.

 

Ask your participants to share their opinions on voting. Without starting a conversation about political views and party affiliation, engage your students in how they feel about voting. Do they plan on voting? Does it matter? Why should we or shouldn’t we be voting?

 

 

Why vote?

Help your participants understand the importance of voting. Here are some strategies to help them make the connection:

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1. Ask participants which issues they care about. Much of our day-to-day life is influenced by political decisions. While a student may not care about “politics,” everyone has something they are interested in. Try to emphasize the influence of government in issues they are passionate about to help display how voting can specifically affect that person.

 

Example: “You like music? Did you know there is an endowment for the arts that is

funded by the federal government?” or “You have to drive a far distance to get to Central? Did you know that funding for road improvement projects was a key issue in a recent election?”

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2. Ask participants if they believe voting matters. Then, convince students of their potential power to make a difference. College-age students make up one of the biggest and fastest-growing voting coalitions but vote in tiny numbers. Try to convey to your participants that most political decisions, and thus issues that will affect our future, are decided for them by people from much older, smaller generations. College-age voters would have an enormous impact on these issues if students voted in mass. Additionally, every vote matters in close elections.

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Example: “Most of our environmental policy is made by generations who won’t live to see the consequences.” or “The price of your college tuition and size of your debt is influenced by voters who have long since graduated and paid off theirs.”

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3. Emphasize that CMU is a school that votes. Our university is committed to establishing a culture of civic engagement among our students. Let students know that voting is the Chippewa thing to do. #CENTRALVOTES

 

Get registered.

Now that you’ve helped your participants realize the importance of voting, teach them ways to get legally and effectively registered.

 

 

1. First, you should check to see if you are registered to vote by going to www.mi.gov/vote. If not, you can register to vote online by following the instructions on the website.

2. Students can choose to register in Mt. Pleasant. Registering to vote in Mt. Pleasant will allow you to avoid having to vote absentee or drive home on Election Day. However, in-state students will be required to change the address on their driver’s license any time they change residence within Mt. Pleasant.

3. Students can choose to register in their home district. If you choose to be registered to vote in your home district, you must either drive to your home district on Election Day, or vote absentee.

4. If you wish to register in person, CMU will be hosting a Fire Up the Vote event on Thursday, September 23, on campus from 10:30 am – 3:30 pm.

 

Get connected.

There are resources on campus to help answer students’ questions and get them involved in civic engagement projects.

 

• Central Votes: CMU’s student voting RSO. Interested students should contact Ryan Coker at coker1rm@cmich.edu to join and volunteer.