How You Can Help Protect

How You Can Help Protect Student Voting Rights

As November 2 approaches, there is every indication that civic engagement among young adults is at an all time high. However, there is a barrier that faces many young people who attempt to register to vote where they go to school: student voter suppression. A coalition of groups including Rock the Vote, New Voters Project, the Student Voting Rights Campaign and many others is organizing a national initiative to educate student voters about their rights and to fight for the right of students to vote on November 2.

Over the coming weeks, as campus groups everywhere conduct voter registration drives, they can report cases of student voter suppression through the Rock the Vote website at www.rockthevote.com/campusvote. Our coalition will give reported cases appropriate legal assistance and help affected students advocate for their rights with their local election officials. On September 23, a national day of action will be held to celebrate our victories and to place pressure on registrars that continue to discriminate against student voters.

Interested groups can participate in this initiative in the following ways:

- Distribute our educational flyers during your campus based voter registration drive. Our 'common myths' flyer helps educate students about their rights and our 'case flyer' lets students know that we are here to help.

- Gather signatures for our student voting rights petition. Our coalition will use the petition strategically to target counties that throw up unnecessary or illegal barriers to student voting.

- Recruit students on your campus to serve as poll monitors on November 2. Our coalition will deploy volunteers to high-risk student voting precincts where they can answer questions and alert student voter to call 1-866-OUR-VOTE for legal help.

- Celebrate student voting on September 23! For ideas on activities you can hold on September 23, check out our planning guide.

This educational effort is designed to integrate easily into any ongoing campus- based voter registration drive.

The Rock the Vote Planning Guide includes everything you need to know to organize around this problem, and provides organizers with the nuts and bolts background on this issue. To obtain a guide, please contact Leinaala in the Washington Office of Rock the Vote at [phone removed] or [email removed]. Our materials can also be downloaded from the Rock the Vote website at http://www.rockthevote.com/rtv_campuscamp_natlday.ph.