Educating Students for Democracy: What Colleges Are Doing, How It’s Working, and What Needs to Happen Next

Abstract

In the U.S., we have historically looked to our educators to prepare citizens for full participation in our democracy as engaged and informed voters. We examine the student voting movement that has taken root in colleges and universities across the country—a movement that offers a promising way forward in forming a new generation of engaged citizens. We detail what we know about how to increase student turnout, suggest ways to strengthen voter mobilization efforts through a broader civic education agenda, chart a path forward for future research, and offer recommendations for college administrators who seek to make voting a lifelong habit for their students. We also look beyond the student voting movement to argue for new forms of pedagogy that foster civic identity so that students think of themselves as voters who always vote, because voting is a necessary way to express themselves as engaged citizens.