Campus Spotlight: California University of Pennsylvania

By Jaron Castranio, Senior Political Science major, California University of Pennsylvania

Alan Abramowitz, one of the country’s leading elections forecasters, recently returned to California University of Pennsylvania to discuss “Will the Democrats Catch a Wave? The Outlook for the 2018 Midterm Elections.” His presentation focused on whether Democrats would be able to regain control of the House.

Abramowitz pointed to election surges and declines, reminding everyone that it is not unusual for the president’s party to lose seats in midterm elections. His predictions for the upcoming election were based on the premise that there are more seats for Republicans to lose than there are for Democrats; however, he mentioned that the number of turnovers also depends on the president’s approval rating. Trump’s low numbers may cause a greater than usual shift in power. According to Abramowitz, there is better than a 50 percent chance that Democrats will win back the House.

Learn more about the event here: https://www.calu.edu/news/2018/abramowitz%20to%20discuss%20midterm%20elections.aspx 

Engage the Election 2016: NVRD is Sept. 27th & State Guides

Beginning to make plans for registering students to vote in the November 2016 elections?

Become an National Voter Registration Day Partner

National Voter Registration Day (NVRD) is a nonpartisan, 50-state holiday when thousands of organizations and volunteers work together to register voters. As a partner, ADP is encouraging our campuses to sign up as partners for NVRD. By signing up now, you can receive stickers, posters and a toolkit to help your school or organization be an active participant on Tuesday, September 27^th. Note: Sign up by July 1st!

CVP’s 2016 Student Guides Are Now Available

Every year our partners at FELN’s Campus Vote Project (CVP) update materials that administrators, faculty and students can use to clarify the deadlines, rules, and frequently asked questions about registering and voting in their state. Their student voting guides for all 50 states and DC for 2016 are updated and available on their website. Visit the CVP website for student voting guides and other useful materials you can use leading up to election day on Tuesday, November 8.

 

Voter Engagement: Student Election Workers

Cook County in Illinois has been looking for students to serve as poll workers for the March 15, 2016 Presidential Primary election. This opportunity will allow students to learn about the election process, strengthen local democracy, and students will get paid for their service. Students have the opportunity to take one of two positions; Election Judge or Equipment Manager.

Northeastern Illinois University, an ADP campus, had 198 students participate in the program, which was the 5th highest among area colleges and universities.

This program is the largest poll worker program in the country with 51 colleges and universities participating. According to the case study’s report community college students were more likely to serve a second time. This program has seen increased efficiency and there were three wards where student participation solved poll worker shortages.

Do you think your students would like to partake in such an opportunity? For more information click here.

ADP/TDC Electoral Engagement Resources: Engaging Campuses

As a part of the ADP/TDC Electoral Engagement Resources, we’ve created a document with ways in which colleges and universities can engage their students.

The document has resources to measure current areas of growth for individual universities’ democratic engagement efforts. It also lists suggested resources on how to approach expanding democratic engagement efforts on campuses as well as organizations and projects that can assist in the process.

ADP and TDC campuses are encouraged to utilize these resources to engage students in upcoming elections.

Download Engaging Campuses (pdf)
Don’t forget: National Voter Registration Day is September 22^nd!

ADP/TDC Electoral Engagement Resources: Voter Education Websites

The ADP/TDC Electoral Engagement Resources now features a document on voter education websites to help college students better inform themselves in preparation for Election Day.

Listed websites will assist students in finding factual information about the candidates on the ballot. Other websites feature voting information. One source students may find to be particularly useful is the candidate matching quiz. This website asks users to take a quiz about their beliefs and then matches the responses to the best fit candidate of the 2016 presidential election.

ADP and TDC institutions are encouraged to promote these educational resources on their campuses.

Download Voter Education Websites (pdf)
Don’t forget: National Voter Registration Day is September 22^nd!