Two Joyce Grantees, the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP) and the Students Learn Students Vote (SLSV) coalition teamed up to host Youth Vote Fest: a unique opportunity to engage nearly 400 young voters at the two political parties’ conventions this summer, the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. Nearly 400 students hailing from San Diego to Miami had the opportunity to experience the energy firsthand at the two conventions, with voter engagement workshops and diverse speakers including lawmakers, media experts and political leaders that sparked dialogue and excitement from across the political spectrum.
Student Voting
Longtime Joyce grantees, the SLSV coalition and UChicago’s IOP both understand the importance of non-partisan voter engagement in our elections, and this highly contentious election year is no different. Whether they are engaged with the mechanics of voting by volunteering as poll workers or are organizing their peers on campuses to hold informational forums and get out the vote, students are playing a crucial role in our democracy. These long-term efforts have led to policy changes that make voting more accessible on four-year and community college campuses, as well as voter registration policies that support high school and college students in several Great Lakes states.
VoteFest
The Joyce Foundation supported this year’s Youth VoteFest, an immersive experience for students from over 60 high schools, community colleges and universities to observe the official nominating conventions of both major parties. Students not only had the chance to attend the convention speeches, but also eagerly participated in forums, trainings and workshops tailored for young voters featuring elected officials and experts in media, politics and local government.
RNC in Milwaukee
Support from the Joyce Foundation helped the coalition offer travel stipends so that students from three community colleges in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Area Technical College, the College of DuPage, and Miami Dade College could all attend Youth VoteFest at the RNC in July. Ninety students participated in workshops and breakout sessions that tackled complex issues like political polarization and how to get more young people involved in the democratic process. IOP Founding Director David Axelrod moderated a panel about historic events unfolding in real-time, from the attempted assassination attempt on former President Trump, to some Democrats calling for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race. The diverse array of speakers shared a core message: young voters must be the change they want to see in the world. Local and national media outlets covered Youth VoteFest in Milwaukee.
A month later in Chicago, Youth VoteFest invited students (some new and some returning) to the DNC in Chicago for two days packed with panels, workshops and access to the convention for speeches and roll-call. Media covered the exciting ways that Youth VoteFest combatted voter disenchantment and equipped students with the skills to become more civically engaged. CBS News observed, “The idea is that the students will use the lessons they learned at the Youth Vote Fest to take them back to their hometowns or to college campuses and increase voter turnout there.”
The event, with more than 300 enthusiastic students packing the room, also highlighted the results of a new student-led survey of youth voter attitudes heading into the election, through a collaboration of IOP and GenForward. Youth Voters are just as complex as any other demographic, and while their votes will have a major impact on the upcoming election, they are energized by a broad scope of policies and ideas.
“We support a lot of student voter engagement programming across our states. Having both political party conventions in our region this summer presented a great opportunity for students to experience an aspect of American politics that only comes around once every four years,” said Joyce Democracy Program Director Carrie Davis, who attended some of the student programming in Chicago. “We were thrilled when our friends at IOP and SLSV, both of whom provide top-notch student programming, told us about their plans to host nonpartisan Youth Vote Fest events at the RNC and DNC. We especially loved the idea of offering travel stipends so that students from all walks of life could participate and the specific focus on inviting community college students.”
Learn more about the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, and Youth VoteFest find media clips and toolkits here:
About The Joyce Foundation
Joyce is a nonpartisan, private foundation that invests in evidence-informed public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.