Exercise your right to vote and encourage your students to help get out the vote!

HRE USA leaders and partners have come together to encourage everyone to make sure their voice is heard and exercise their civic right to vote in every election cycle! To further engage students around voting and participation in government, we have compiled a rich collection of Get Out The Vote student-centered resources, programs, and projects. These resources can be used to create a service-driven civic learning activity or, can be inserted into ongoing social and civic education projects.

This coalition of HRE communities encourage any and all educators to use these resources in their teaching practice. Remember, some states end voter registration 30 days before Election Day and, in all states, voters are urged to complete early voting or absentee/mail-in voting as soon as they can to avoid last minute delays that might keep their vote from being counted.

VOTING & HUMAN RIGHTS

The right to vote reflects essential civil and political rights. Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.” The vitality and inclusiveness of participation in voting is a measure of the strength of democracy in our society. Yet that right is threatened with the challenges of voting during a pandemic and challenges to the integrity of the voting process itself.

Young people especially have a central and monumental role to play in the realization of this universal human right at this time and in this place. Many youth are becoming eligible to vote for the first time while still in high school, as they reach 18 years. Youth not yet 18 are often overlooked as a vital resource in helping members of their families and communities navigate the often confusing path to participating in the vote. Issues surrounding timely registration (closing soon in many states!), availability of mail-in voting, opportunities for early voting and concerns with the mechanics of getting elderly, language minority and economically challenged citizens to the polls create barriers that civically engaged youth can help to overcome. Social studies educators need access to standards-based, helpful and engaging tools and resources to teach their students about the legacy of voting in our country, how to effectively exercise that right, and how to engage civically in our democracy, while also encouraging critical thinking. In many cases, the engagement of teachers and of students with service learning opportunities around voting and civic participation must take place in a virtual setting and amidst challenges to the legitimacy of voting procedures.