Graham Center for Public Service Participating in Expanded Youth Effort Chronicling 2008 Presidential Race
Students from the University of Florida will participate in a nationwide expansion of Harvard’s Institute of Politics’ “Campus Voices” project, an effort started last fall allowing college students to share their experiences and activities tracking the people and events of the 2008 presidential race. The project has now expanded to serve as a place where students across the country can voice their opinions and report (via video clips, written articles and blog-posts posted on www.campusvoices.org) on the different ways young people are politically engaged and active on their campuses and in their states. The new general election version of the Campus Voices project now includes the University of Florida and other colleges and universities across the country. The University of Florida’s website is sponsored by the Graham Center for Public Service and is located at www.campusvoices.org/ufl. The website also includes all the information students in any state would need to register and vote in November.
The Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida is a member of the National Campaign for Civic Engagement, established in 2003 at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. The National Campaign unites 19 university Centers who are committed to developing civic-minded and politically engaged students. Campus Voices is the collaborative project of the National Campaign members this election year. Graham Center student Sara Meerow, a political science senior, manages the UF Campus Voices Project.
The project is intended to provide a new venue for students to share information and to highlight how important courting younger voters will be to campaigns. In the last two national elections, younger voter turnout increased markedly. Approximately 10 million votes were cast in the 2006 midterm elections by 18-29 year olds; this demographic group also cast slightly more votes than seniors aged 65 and older in the 2004 elections according to exit polls.
Through teaching and scholarly research, the Graham Center for Public Service trains the next generation of state and national leaders to confront issues vital to the interests of Florida and the nation. The Graham Center utilizes the rich academic resources at the University of Florida by taking a multidisciplinary approach to solving public policy problems. Academic programs incorporate a wide range of topics pertinent to the problem solving and decision making activities of the public and private sectors.
Institutions participating in the National Campaign for Civic Engagement are Allegheny College, Birmingham Southern College, Elon University, Harvard University, Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, Rutgers University, Saint Anselm College, Tufts University, University of Florida, University of Kansas, University of Oklahoma, University of Rochester, University of Southern California, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, University of Texas, University of Utah, University of Virginia, and Vanderbilt University.