Empowering the Next Generation of Voters: A Summer Partnership in Action

This summer, we had the incredible opportunity to partner with Maricopa County Elections and the Access ASU Leadership Institute to bring a civic engagement and voting session to this year's summer camp cohort of rising high school juniors and seniors. The Access ASU Leadership Institute's summer program is available to students in grades 9-12 across a variety of topics, including engineering, leadership, math, and the arts. Programs are offered on all four ASU campuses, with formats ranging from day camps to residential programs where students can live on campus.
During the civic session, students stepped out of the traditional classroom and into the Maricopa County Tabulation Election Center. The visit gave them a firsthand look at how ballots are processed, signatures are verified, and votes are ultimately counted. Students also participated in a mock election, tabulated their own ballots, and met with "Phil the Ballot," the Maricopa County Elections mascot.
Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory Fellow, Eman Massoud, closed out the day with a powerful presentation on voting, civic participation, and the many ways young people can get involved in shaping their communities. She also walked students through the various programs offered by Maricopa County Elections designed to get high school students involved in the elections process.
We are grateful to the Maricopa County Elections team for their continued partnership and their commitment to public education and transparency. Partnerships like this are essential to building a well-informed and civically engaged next generation. At the Mechanics of Democracy Laboratory, we work to secure the future of democracy, and that starts with informing and empowering the next generation.

To learn what students are saying about their experience at the Maricopa County Tabulation Election Center, read the article.