Make Campuses Democracy Hubs

…And Don't Make Students Do All the Work

Yesterday, I spent a wonderful day with students and faculty at my alma maters (Yale Law School and Yale College), talking about the threats to democracy we face and how we can all work harder and smarter to protect democracy—this year and beyond.

Make campuses democracy hubs….

Amid the discussion, we brainstormed ways that students can make a difference this year—both locally, back in their home communities, and nationally—and I promised to connect them to opportunities where they can best apply their energy, passion and skills to make the biggest impact.

The bottom line is that a college or university campus actively engaged in lifting democracy—of its own students, workers, and the broader community—can lift so many. Truly, as much as any institution in America.

But here’s what I also told them…something I preach all the time:

On campuses, we can’t only ask the students themselves to do that critical democracy work.

Yes, one of my classmates (hint: on the left) already has a portrait adorning the walls of the law school! I’ve learned so much from Stacey then and since.

Of course, the more students who do that work, the better. Their energy is key, and will drive so much of it.

But over the course of college and graduate school, so much is happening in students’ lives. Classwork itself. So many activities and pressures and responsibilities beyond classes and readings and exams. Job interviews and resumes and sports. Stress. Uncertainty. Social dynamics. And of course there’s rapid turnover of who’s involved.

Some years, amid all this activity, a group of students or one great student leader may be incredibly active in the democracy space and inspire and organize an even bigger group to do great things—for fellow students, for their broader community, or even more broadly than that. I met students yesterday gearing up to do just that type of work in the coming year..

But the next year, that same group may all graduate and the effort fizzles. Maybe a year or two later, another group comes along.

What’s the answer if these campuses provide such a huge potential to lift democracy but when students alone should not have to shoulder all the work?

It’s for universities and colleges across the country—private and public—to add lifting democracy to their institutional core mission. They take on key tasks as an institution—and don’t simply leave it to the students who pass through.

And that starts with making sure the schools themselves are lifting their most direct constituents—the students themselves, often a prime target of voter suppression efforts—into democracy whenever possible. Workers and staff too, along with the community they comprise a core asset of.

And I’m not just talking about seminars and lecture and forums—needless to say, those are likely happening and are indeed important.

I’m talking about the practical work of democracy. The blocking and tackling.

And for that work, these schools and campuses are perfectly positioned to use their robust institutional footprints and processes to proactively support wide and ongoing participation in democracy.

How?

Let me list the most basic examples:

• Every welcome packet to new students should include information on the steps needed to vote in their new community, including details about early voting, requirements, etc.

• When the school is handing out student IDs that first week of school, give students the information on what ID they also need to vote in that state—and the application to do so if it needs to be a separate ID. (In many states, state student IDs are no longer eligible a a voting ID…for all the worst reasons).

• When students register for classes, again, include the opportunity to register to vote. Same time, same place (physical or online).

• Online portals and campus websites should include all that same information, and should highlight them even more as key deadlines approach.

And those are just the bare minimum steps (all non-partisan in nature, btw) every school should be taking to institutionalize lifting democracy into all they do.

With just these steps in mind, if you take a few minutes to brainstorm, you can see just how many directions this can go…once a campus has made the important decision that lifting democracy is part of its core mission:

Let me draw this out by sharing an excerpt from “Saving Democracy”:

“There’s no better way to get folks in the habit of voting than when they’re young. And no organization’s core mission dovetails more closely with building a vibrant democracy than institutions of higher education. Young folks also turn out to be in the cross-hairs of those attacking democracy.

So everywhere in this country, when students register for classes, they should be given the opportunity to register to vote. Every damn time! Everywhere. Information on how to register should also be part of orientation packets for new students. Along with how to get whatever ID is required. That’s just the beginning of what all colleges, universities, community colleges, and the like could do to lift democracy. Amid these institutions’ enormous footprints, the opportunities are boundless.

And it shouldn’t only be left to student activists and groups to make this happen. They’re there for four years, or less. A lot is happening in these students’ lives in that time. Turnover in student groups is rapid; leaders usually are in charge for just one of those four years. The school itself should use its footprint to build a pro-democracy infrastructure separate from whatever their students also build. Professors and administrators who are there for the long haul should ensure that it is in place—always.

But that’s just for the students.

Now let’s talk about the surrounding communities:

I love teaching Election Law at the University of Cincinnati Law School. And while my students have always seemed to enjoy the class, there’s always been one activity and class I know my class takes a back-seat to. Way, way back.

If a student in my class also takes part in the Innocence Project Clinic at UC, I know where I stand. This is a project that has led to the release of dozens of Ohioans who have been convicted of a crime only to be found innocent later by DNA evidence. Law students do much of the research and leg work that has led to this incredible success. And because they can make such a difference, they are passionate about it. It’s not just a class—it’s part of who they are at the law school. Yes, part of their footprint.

Here’s a simple suggestion for every law school: create a pro-democracy and voter advocacy clinic that also taps into students’ passion to make a difference. Use that clinic for every step of the engagement process. No one is better positioned to help voters navigate the hurdles of rejoining the political community than law students, especially when those barriers include legal hurdles: getting that photo ID, or returning to the community after serving time. No one is better positioned to build the type of partnerships (with court systems and other community organizations) to scale up a large effort in city after city.”

Now steps like that would lift democracy in community after community—and at the robust scale that is needed.

So, if you’re a student, faculty member, administrator, alum, or have any engagement with a campus or those who lead one, look at that school and see if they have adopted lifting democracy as part of their core mission.

Are only students doing the work? Or is the institution itself using elements of its powerful footprint to do democracy-lifting work—complementing the students on campus who also are doing this work?

If not, encourage them to do so.

Of all the institutions in America that could lift democracy—especially for populations disproportionately impacted b y the past decade of voter suppression tactics—none has a higher potential to make a difference than these campuses.

Let’s make it happen!