The Civic Corner is a space where all citizens can register to vote, write about their views, and make positive change in the United States.
The Civic Corner is:
- A resource - With a tablet to find information, forms with multistate directions, and postcards all can use (even those too young to vote)
- Non-partisan - No matter the party or opinions, all are welcome to use the Civic Corner
- Visible - A visual reminder that grabs attention and has space for rotating “Did you know...” information
- Permanent - Not just during presidential elections but all year, every year, there is access to registration forms, contacting materials and much more
Education
Civic corners remind voters that important decisions are made each election cycle, twice per year. They also provide all citizens with easy access to all the resources they need to contact government officials and share their views.
Working to Increase Engagement
While engaged citizens are essential to a functioning democracy, political participation in the United States is low: the U.S. ranks 185 out of 196 countries for voter turnout in a comparison of most recent parliamentary elections (Solijonov, 2016). Furthermore, data indicate that U.S. youth consistently vote at lower rates than other age groups.
Helping Youth Participate
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau reports that 19-29 year olds have the lowest voter turnout by age group at 46.1% in 2016. Since 1980, this number has never risen above 52%. All other age groups show voting rates that have never dipped below 56.9% and have been as high as 76.1%.
The Message
- Personal - All are welcome to use a provided postcard to share their thoughts with government officials
- Free - Printing, postage, and other resources are provided at no cost to the user
- Eye-Catching - Citizens, especially young ones, need to remember that they have a civic duty to be educated and use their voice to make positive change
- Unique - These are the first kiosks of their kind, located at colleges, high schools, libraries, and other public spaces
Get One Today
The Civic Corner initiative stemmed out of collaboration between the Library, the Department of Political Science and International Studies, and the Regula Center for Public Service at Mount Union in efforts to better engage our students. Two Civic Corners have been installed at Mount Union, and soon, two more will be located in Alliance - at the public library and the local high school.
We want to help your organization be the next location of a Civic Corner! Purchase one for your organization today. We can help you through every step of the installation process including materials, rationale, and best locations for placement.