Civic Engagement
Phi Theta Kappans Get Out the Vote!
The ballots have been cast, votes have been tallied, and the results are unanimous - Voice Your Vote has been a resounding success! However, we are not finished. Phi Theta Kappa's voter awareness initiative will remain a part of the Society's commitment to civic engagement.
In the brief history of Phi Theta Kappa's involvement with Voice Your Vote, great strides have been made to register voters. The current total of new voters from reported voter registration drives is more than 10,000. With reports being submitted daily, the total is expected to increase. Chapters sponsored debates, voter registration drives and even a few mock elections. It's not too late to report how your chapter exercised the right to vote. Complete a report form at www.ptk.org/chapters/voting/participationform.htm.
Here is a sampling of some best practices reported by chapters throughout the Society:
Rho Upsilon Chapter
Community College of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Members of this Pennsylvania chapter set up a laptop on their campus to display
the Voice Your Vote website. The chapter utilized this resource as well as a
partnership with the campus Student Government Association to register voters
during Phi Theta Kappa Week. Their efforts yielded 200 new voters and 1,500 voters
educated.
Alpha Delta Eta Chapter
Kankakee Community College
Kankakee, Illinois
Phi Theta Kappans at Kankakee Community College coordinated a large-scale voter
registration program in Illinois. The chapter partnered with the North Suburban
Library System of Illinois for this successful program. The voter registration
event took place on the campus of Kankakee College as well as 83 libraries
throughout northern Illinois, yielding 70 registered voters on the Kankakee
Campus and an average of 34 at each of the libraries for a total of approximately
2,500 new voters, and countless educated voters.
Beta Zeta Upsilon Chapter
Tidewater Community College
Norfolk, Virginia
These Virginia members converted their campus library into a voter awareness library.
There, students were directed to online resources and given a tutorial on how to
research a candidate's voting record, special interest rating, and campaign
financing. Through this program, more than 160 new voters were registered and
approximately 150 were educated.
Alpha Iota Gamma Chapter
Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, Kansas
A three-hour credit course was offered centering on the Presidential election;
participants studied the history of political parties, the Electoral College,
and the platforms of each candidate in depth. A panel discussion was also hosted
on September 16 with experts on the landmark court case Brown vs. The Board of
Education discussing the effects it had on the election process.
Beta Mu Mu Chapter
Shasta College
Redding, California
The chapter at Shasta College coordinated a successful forum on the Shasta College
campus. Candidates for two Shasta County supervisors' seats, Linda Hartman and
Mark Cibula, debated a wide range of topics pertinent to the citizens of Redding.
More than 100 attendees watched the debate.
