To Vote or Not to Vote? That is the Question.

Claire Farrington, Civic Education Intern, Women 4 Change Indiana

“To Vote or Not to Vote. That is the Question”

Author, Claire Farrington, Women4Change Civic Engagement Intern

Women4Change Voices

Voting.

 For me, an Australian citizen, it’s mandatory. For U.S. citizens reading this, it’s voluntary.

 I vote because I want to and because I have to. But why do you choose to vote? Or not vote? 

Since I began as an intern at Women4Change in the summer of 2023, I have been very interested in these questions. In countries where voting is voluntary, what motivates individuals to vote, and what can increase one’s motivation to vote? Through working with Youth Engage! and researching various education standards in the United States, I have come to appreciate the importance and role of civic education. Among other things, civic education can actively increase many types of civic engagement– perhaps most importantly, voting. However, after high school, there are very few civic education opportunities for adults, especially young adults. College is a formative time for developing an individual’s political interest and civic engagement and is therefore an ideal time for continued civic education. Despite this, there are very few quality, relevant, and easily accessible civic education programs for colleges or college students. 

Thus, the idea for my undergraduate honors thesis was born. My goal for this thesis is to do research that could inform the creation of college civic education programs; programs Women4Change could create and implement. Ideally, such programs would increase civic dispositions and positively impact voting practices amongst college students. Although I am still a few months away from completing my thesis, my research combines findings from a literature review and interviews with college students.

The literature review is helping me to develop a basic groundwork and list of best practices for civic education programs, and the interviews will contribute college students' perspectives. The interviews explore students' experiences with, civic education and uncover primary motivations for voting. Incorporating this kind of information into my framework for future programs will ensure that college students’ voices are represented in such programs. Importantly, this means that college students will learn things they wish to learn that are tailored, applicable, and relevant to them. 

While this will not be included in my research I am interested to know: What do you wish you had learned, or still wish to learn about civic education, civic engagement, or voting? 
Will you vote in 2024? Why, or why not?

-Claire Farrington, Women4Change Indiana

Women4Change Voices represents a wide variety of perspectives, experiences, and the respective areas of expertise, among staff, interns, board, supporters, communities, and Indiana, at-large.

Want to weigh in with Women4Change Indiana on an issue impacting Hoosier women and is important to you?

Submit your proposed issue/title, an article idea in a paragraph or article up to 500 words, and photograph in support of your position and/or call to action to:

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Thanks!

And thank you to Claire Farrington for her ongoing research and contributions to Women4Change Indiana!