Voter Engagement Plan and NSLVE Data

With funding support from the Office of Civic Engagement and Student Engagement, a Civic Engagement Student Staff member will be hired each year to help with voter education, registration, dialogue events, and marketing. In the Fall semester, including the election, additional Voter Engagement Ambassadors will be hired to increase voter engagement efforts leading up to the election. These students will host voter registration tables, work with our Social Marketing Team to develop a series of social marketing campaigns, and present voter information in classes and at student organization meetings.  

The Bobcats Vote webpage is a centralized location for student voter information. This page includes upcoming deadlines, links to voter registration, including TurboVote, our voter engagement plan, NSLVE data, and information on polling locations, mail-in voting, early voting, and election day shuttles. The website also contains information about how to be more engaged in the voting process, including how to become a poll worker for upcoming elections.  

FSU partners with TurboVote to offer students an online platform for all their voting needs, no matter where they are registered to vote. TurboVote helps students register to vote, obtain absentee ballots, and offers email and text message reminders about upcoming elections, polling locations, and other important voter information.  

Each semester, at least one voter registration drive will occur on campus. During the 2024 Fall Semester, the office of Civic Engagement, with help from the Voter Engagement Ambassador Student Staff, hosts weekly voter information tables in the Student Union, the Lane University Center. At these tables, students can learn more about the voting process, register to vote, obtain absentee ballots, find polling locations, and information about early voting and election day activities.  

FIRST-YEAR STUDENT INITIATIVE

Each year in September FSU hosts National Voter Registration Day on campus. Activities for the day include an email from Vice President Artie Travis, a social marketing campaign, voter registration & absentee ballot activities in the Lane University Center and more. Partners for this event include the Office of Civic Engagement, the Allegany County Board of Elections, the Student Government Association, Community Organizations, and student organizations.  

Each October, FSU takes part in Voter Education Week and promotes action items through social media each day of the week to prepare students to vote. These action items include Registering to vote, requesting a mail-in ballot, deciding to vote, learning what is on the ballot, and getting more involved in the voting process.  

In October, FSU promotes Vote Early Day to educate students about the early voting process, where they can vote early, when early voting is available, and resources about their ballot. This effort is put out via social media as well as in the student union at one of our many voting tables throughout the semester.  

In November, for Election Hero Day, FSU will be recognizing students, faculty, and staff who take the time to act as poll workers and will be working to put together interviews to be shared on the Bobcats Vote page and social media of poll workers discussing their experience, and why they choose to volunteer.  

OCE staff act as an ongoing resource for voter information for students. Staff will be trained in the most up-to-date information and regulations on voter registration, absentee ballots, polling locations, and more. Any student at FSU can come into the OCE located in the student union and receive voter information and assistance with their voting needs anytime during regular business hours.  

As part of its efforts to increase student awareness and education in current events, FSU has purchased a campus-wide subscription to the New York Times. This subscription has allowed the OCE, in partnership with the J. Glenn Beall Institute for Public Affairs, to host weekly Times Talk Events. Every week, students, faculty, and staff meet to discuss a current topic focused on politics. A student, staff, or faculty member picks a recent NYT article to act as the basis of discussion. These discussions allow for students to voice their opinions, learn the opinions of others, and take part in a rigorous discussion about the topic for the week.  

In collaboration with the J. Glenn Beall Institute of Public Affairs and the Student Government Association, the OCE hosts three Town Hall Meetings every semester for large group discussions. Each town hall has an overarching theme, but topics for discussion are left up to the students who participate. For the Fall 2024 semester, the themes for these town halls will focus on the upcoming election. The first town hall will be focused on local and state issues, the second on national and global issues, and the third will act as a candidates’ forum, where students can come to discuss who they are supporting, their platforms, and why they believe that candidate is the best suited for the position.  

To ensure students are confident when they vote, the OCE will host a special information table during the two weeks leading up to the election. At this table, students can obtain sample ballots from every county in MD, along with some adjacent counties in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. There will also be information on how to find details on candidates’ platforms for multiple issues, including resources like Ballotpedia and Vote411.  

In partnership with the Ort Library, the J. Glenn Beall Institute for Public Affairs, and the OCE, FSU hosts Constitution Day every year. Events include voter registration information, constitution trivia, and free pocket constitutions. Each year, a special constitution event is planned as part of the day’s activities. Past events have included historical reenactments from Ben Franklin and George Washington and a virtual event from a storyteller co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters, Allegany College of Maryland, and Hagerstown Community College.  

DEBATE WATCH PARTIES

Each year, the Office of Civic Engagement, in partnership with the J. Glenn Beall Institute for Public Affairs, hosts a series of democratic-focused speakers to discuss why they have become involved in the democratic process and the importance of voting. Guest for this series in the past has included U.S. Senator Benjamin Cardin, Sam Novey of TurboVote & Mile 22, an Alumni panel of political operatives, and more. Leading up to the primary and presidential elections, efforts will be made to host candidates’ forums or other election-related speakers on campus.  

Students can sign up with TurboVote to receive reminders and information on polling locations, registration and absentee ballot deadlines, and election day information.  

With many students registered at their permanent address in other counties in MD or other states, FSU focuses on educating students on the mail-in ballot process and assisting students in obtaining and turning in their mail-in ballots. As part of this initiative, For the first time for the 2024 Primary and General Elections, FSU will host the Board of Elections on campus once a week for four weeks leading up to the elections to collect Mail-In ballots on campus as well as answer questions and help students register and obtain Mail-In ballots.  

As student voter turnout has increased over the years, FSU and the Allegany County Board of Elections has worked together to better accommodate students on election day. At the closest polling location to the campus, the county has worked to obtain more provisional ballots, more provisional ballot booths, and developed a two-line system to better accommodate local and provisional voters. During election day, the OCE staff and the polling location stay in touch to help troubleshoot any issues that arise. Most recently, this partnership has allowed for discussions on potentially implementing a polling location on campus for future elections.  

On election day, the OCE, in partnership with SGA’s SafeRide program, hosts a voter shuttle from a centralized location on campus to the local polling location starting at 8:00 am and running every 15 minutes. Staff stay in communication with the shuttle driver and the local polling location and work to divert drop-offs to secondary locations if long lines begin to form, or if issues arise, such as voting machines going down, or if provisional ballots run low, to ensure students have the best voting experience possible.  

On election day, with the help of the Lane University Center Centralized Tech Crew, the student union is transformed with election day regalia. Red, white, and blue lighting and balloons are utilized throughout the union, voter shuttle information is prominently posted, and information about the evening's election night viewing party is readily available.  

As part of our Election Day celebration, the OCE hosts a table including a democracy wall where students can write statements about why they voted, and what issues are important to them. The table also includes red, white, and blue cookies and information about voting on election day. Students are encouraged to use the hashtag #BobcatsVote for the day.  

ELECTION NIGHT VIEWING PARTY

The OCE will work to evaluate its voter programming and efforts during implementation as well as the final results of university efforts after the election. Surveys, attendance counts, registrations, and presentations will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to allow for program and marketing adjustments to best serve and engage the students. Evaluation efforts include:  

• Post-surveys focused on knowledge gained and voter confidence at all education-focused events  
• Attendance counts at all voter engagement-related events  
• Tracking of use, voter registration, absentee ballots, and reminders through TurboVote  
• Tracking for special focus areas o Number of student interactions and registrations completed at First-Year Student Convocation and student organization meet and greet  
  • Number of Introduction to Higher Education class presentations and student count (First-Year Students)  
  • Number of Natural Resources & Conservation, Law Enforcement, and Mathematics and Statistics classes presentations and student count  
• Tracking of Voter Registration and student assistance during National Voter Registration Day and voter Engagement Tabling  
• Involvement in the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE)  
• Tracking of student use of the three local polling locations by the Allegany County Board of Elections  
• Tracking of student use of the Election Day Shuttle  

The Campus Voter Engagement Report, along with NSLVE Data and evaluation results, will be shared with the campus as well as our community partners. Both the FSU Plan and NSLVE Data will be shared publicly on the FSU website, as well as with our national partners, including the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge and Campus Voter Project.