iVOTE! Now	|	About	|	Participate	|	Partners
	____________________________________________________________________ Communities | Polls | Cybraries

About iVOTE!:
Bridging the Gap between Civic Engagement and Democratic Participation

iVOTE! '08 Presentation

iVOTE! '08 Announcement (pdf)

The iVOTE! Collaboratory will enable Illinois high school and college students to share research, experiences, and strategies to address their civic engagement interests and make such efforts more effective. Over time, the Collaboratory will provide a valuable knowledge base of experiences from successful community service projects and effective models for political advocacy that can be easily replicated.  This community-based approach will help students see themselves as part of a larger community with common concerns and motivate them to persist as problems become more challenging.  It also instills in them the confidence necessary to move their passions from private commitment into the public forum for debate and resolution. Raising their interests and concerns to public debate motivates student advocates to greater electoral participation when they become eligible to vote and aligns policy issues with young adults’ social concerns, making voting a more meaningful, relevant and likely activity.

iVOTE! Calendar

Winter 2008 (Primary Elections)

• Get Out the Vote: Students educate primary candidates to support their positions
• Students participate in the iVOTE! Primary Election

Spring 2008

• Students join iVOTE!
• Students continue community projects, research white papers, education programs
• Students develop advocacy campaigns

Summer 2008

• Students continue their community projects
• Students discuss their position papers with one another

Fall 2008 (National Elections)

• Get Out the Vote: Students advocate for candidates who support their concerns
• Students participate in the iVOTE! Presidential Election

• iVOTE! website launched: Collaboratory resources available
• iVOTE! Issues and Concerns Spring Opinion Poll: What are youth concerned about?

The Collaboratory Project

Northwestern University

Created: 27 April 2007
Last Updated: 21 December 2007