Teens Take Action: A Comprehensive Guide To Running A Voter Registration Drive

*Note: As most teachers on TpT, I have taught everything I posted on this website, and often make current event connections as I teach in real time. As you are looking through these resources in preparation for teaching in your own style, if you have any questions about the content, or what I've used for videos or other resources, please email me. I would be more than happy to talk!

When I decided to run a voter registration drive with my 11th grade students in 2018, I was starting from scratch. There were several "how-to" guides available on the Internet (Rock the Vote and The League of Women Voters come to mind), but I found that none of them gave me a step-by-step overview of exactly what I needed to do to have a successful voter drive initiative. This resource contains everything I wished I had when I first embarked on this journey with my students (plus a page on running these kinds of initiatives during a pandemic!), and I hope you find it helpful. If you have any questions about this project or would like advice, please do not hesitate to reach out. I would love to hear from you!

This guide consists of 33 pages of information that you will find useful in starting and running a voter registration initiative like a pro. In addition, it includes the PDF version of project instructions that you will give to your students, numerous handouts and worksheets, templates for organizing this project, and email language you can use to contact various community partners. Because the handouts are a part of the guide, they are not editable unless you have Adobe Acrobat. You can find a Word version of these worksheets and templates in my store.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Voter Registration Drive: Birth of An Idea

Why Should Our Students Undertake This Venture?

Finding Your Community Impact and Partners

Taking First Steps

Designing Assignments For All Students

Student Choice Equals Student Motivation

Benefiting Your Community

Wait, Money Doesn't Grow On Trees?

Do I Dare Do This Again?

Voter Registration Drive In The Age of a Pandemic

Assignments and Worksheets:

Exhibit A: Non-partisan Voter Registration Drive & Voter Turn Out Project Instructions

Exhibit B: Proposed Community Partners Form

Exhibit C: Sample Email Language To Community Partners

Exhibit D: Voter Registration Drive Activities List

Exhibit E: Sample In Class Agenda

Exhibit F: List of Assignments and Grades

Exhibit G: Activity Selection Form

Exhibit H: Team Project Proposal Form

Exhibit I: Weekly Activity Update and Reflection Form