External Resources
External Organizations
UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement
The mission of the UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement is to explore the intersection of expression, engagement and democratic learning and consider what can be done to restore trust in the value of free speech on college campuses and within society at large.
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge envisions a more engaged and inclusive democracy. Through institutional engagement, direct student engagement, and fostering a national higher education network, ALL IN strives for an electorate that mirrors our country’s makeup and in which college students are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis, during and between elections, and not just at the polls. We believe that a strong, vibrant, and more representative American democracy will result from the greater inclusion of informed college student voters.
Campus Compact
Campus Compact is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to higher education civic and community engagement. Their college and university members make up a force of thousands of presidents, faculty, researchers, students, and civic and community engagement experts at colleges and universities.
California Students Vote Project
Established in 2016, the California Secretary of State (SOS) Students Vote Project (SVP) is a statewide nonpartisan program that elevates college student voices and promotes civic engagement efforts to build a more inclusive democracy. Through the creation of the Students Vote Project, California was the first state in the nation to build partnerships across the state’s major higher education systems to empower students to participate in the democratic process. Program objectives include increasing college student voter education, voter registration, and outreach. The SVP achieves these objectives by hosting civic engagement events, creating educational resources, and partnering with campuses and outreach organizations.
Voter Guides and Digital Resources
LAist Voter Game Plan
The mission of LAist is to strengthen the civic and cultural bonds that unite Southern California's diverse communities by providing the highest quality news and information across multiple platforms. LAist has the voter guides you need to make your most-informed vote ever. They bring you up to speed on the core issues, explain what jobs need to be done, introduce you to candidates and follow the money that's fueling the campaigns. The focus is on Los Angeles County and Southern California.
CalMatters Voter Guide
CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization bringing Californians stories that probe, explain and explore solutions to quality of life issues while holding our leaders accountable. The CalMatters Voter Guide has everything you need to know to vote in California's November 5, 2024 General Election.
Your Major on the Ballot
Your Major on the Ballot is designed to help draw connections between democracy and the different fields students are studying in the classroom. Illustrating the connection between issues that students care about and their choices on the ballot can help motivate students to participate in the democratic process in ways that more conventional political messaging often falls short. This resource was created by Emma Godel, a student from American University.
Important Documents and Articles
A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy's Future
Commissioned by the US Department of Education, this major report responds to a national discourse that effectively limits the mission of higher education to workforce preparation and training, while marginalizing disciplines basic to democracy. The task force exhorts educators and public leaders to advance an educational vision that would make civic learning and democratic engagement an expected part of undergraduate education. The report documents the nation’s anemic civic health and includes recommendations focused on campus culture, general education, and civic inquiry.