News

(Upper Saddle River, NJ)— The Andrew Goodman Foundation plans to ramp up its youth voter engagement efforts this fall by introducing new digital resources. To expand the reach of its national Vote Everywhere program, The Andrew Goodman Foundation has introduced a full-service voter information website for students attending partner campuses, as well as a text messaging pilot program. Both resources will provide customized information for student voters.

These new resources represent The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s newest efforts to increase student civic engagement on 56 campuses with which the organization partners, encompassing 24 states, plus the District of Columbia. The Campus Voter Information Portal (CVIP) at my.voteeverywhere.org will expand the organization’s ability to provide relevant information to student voters by providing one centralized web resource that will be customized for each participating campus. The new web portal will make it easier for students to register to vote, find information on candidates, request absentee ballots, find polling locations, and learn about voter ID and other requirements for voters in their state. Student participants in the Vote Everywhere program, called “Ambassadors,” can request the inclusion of other specific information, depending on their campuses’ needs.

In conjunction with the web portal, The Andrew Goodman Foundation is launching a pilot text messaging program at five Vote Everywhere partner campuses. At each participating campus, students can sign up to receive text message reminders, geared toward voters on that campus. The Andrew Goodman Foundation’s Vote Everywhere team on each participating campus will draft reminders with information relevant to their campus, such as when and where to vote, available transportation from campus to the polls, and other civic engagement opportunities beyond voting. Cornell University, Bowling Green State University, Mesa Community College, Stony Brook University, and Binghamton University will participate in this pilot. The AGF expects to make the texting program available to all 56 campus partners by next fall.

The Andrew Goodman Foundation and the staff and faculty advisors of the Vote Everywhere program on each campus (called Campus Champions) are optimistic that the use of digital channels will increase student civic engagement. Research has shown text messaging to be an effective method of driving voter turnout and other civic engagement activities. Alison Handy Twang, the Associate Director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Binghamton University and Campus Champion for Vote Everywhere at Binghamton, says, “Binghamton University is excited to partner with The Andrew Goodman Foundation to pilot this text messaging program. We know that students turn out in higher numbers when they have information on where, when and how to vote, and text messaging provides a new platform to keep our students engaged and informed.”

With November’s high-stakes midterm elections approaching, The Andrew Goodman Foundation is committed to increasing voter turnout rates for college and university students at our partner campuses. Despite being one of the largest age demographics, young adults have the lowest voter turnout rates. The Andrew Goodman Foundation hopes the introduction of the CVIP and text messaging pilot will provide information that makes students feel empowered and informed enough to fully exercise their voting rights.

About The Andrew Goodman Foundation

Established to continue the legacy of Andrew Goodman, a civil rights worker murdered during Freedom Summer 1964, The Andrew Goodman Foundation partners with America’s colleges and universities through its Vote Everywhere program which provides student leaders with a platform to register and mobilize voters, organize campuses, and collaborate with their peers. To learn more, visit www.andrewgoodman.org.

###