Educators and Community Groups
Energizing Young Voters offers a suite of programs from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters and its partners designed to create a new generation of lifelong, active voters.
TURNING STUDENTS INTO CITIZENS: CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES
A menu of interactive, in-school, or virtual lessons, delivered either by League-trained facilitators or the classroom teacher, that motivate and equip students and young adults to vote and take action.
Fighting for the Vote
MODULE 1: The Suffrage Timeline (What’s it worth?)
Immerses students in the sacrifices made to gain the vote— from the start of the nation through the ongoing fight against voter suppression. They join a human suffrage timeline as the avatars they are assigned fight for and gain the vote.
MODULE 2: The Truth about Turnout (Who’s got the power?)
Engages students in an analysis of turnout data focusing on their own age group and ethnicity. They role-play to challenge typical excuses for not voting.
MODULE 3: Vote by Design (How do I choose?)
Guides students through a nonpartisan, issue-agnostic process for selecting candidates whose values and priorities support their own.
MODULE 4: Voting Simulation
Equips students to tackle barriers to registering and voting.
Two versions:
- Voting Simulation
In-person experience from registration to reading a sample ballot, to signing in at the polls, to learning when and how to ask for a provisional ballot, and finally, to vote.
- How to Vote: Rules of the Road
Student Voting Advocate Toolkit (English and Spanish)
- Student Voting Advocate Toolkit
Remote experience teaches students how to register remotely and vote by mail correctly and encourages them to assist family and community members…
Fighting for Change
MODULE 1: WHAT'S YOUR ISSUE? HOW DO I DETERMINE ISSUES IMPORTANT TO ME?
Students learn that leadership is important, but that leadership is a group process and needs engaged supporters – the fourth branch of government – them. They explore the qualities of an effective leader via discussion of current issues.
MODULE 2: I AM (inform, act, monitor) How do I effect change?
Students identify an issue of importance to them and how the issue evidences itself. Bringing attention to their position, and knowing their rights when doing so, students draft policy and advocate for it.
MODULE 3: Across the divide (How do I actively listen? How do I speak to be heard?)
Students learn to speak so others can ‘hear’ them and listen to understand the beliefs of others. Skills practice helps students learn to express their concerns with conviction and civility.
For more in-depth learning, additional lessons are available. (energizingyoungvoters@gmail.com).
> View Listening & Speaking Module
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES/civics engagement OPPORTUNITIES
- NJ Center for Civic Education
- We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution – provides an understanding of the philosophy underlying our Constitution and Bill of Rights, their impact in history and current-day relevance.
- Project Citizen – a project-based program that helps students understand public policy and emphasizes responsible participation in local and state government agencies to effect change.
- Mock Election
- All Vote No Play
- Art the Vote
- iCivics.com – teacher-designed civics lessons
- The Teaching Channel – an online community for educators
- LWV Monmouth Hot Topics ( 2020 Census, Ballot Security, and other up-to-the-minute of interest topics)
- TEXT helpline 732-927-1131 immediate registration and voting help
- VOTE411– LWV info on all things voting in the USA
- How To Vote By Mail
INDIVIDUAL LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
- Governor’s Youth Advisory Council – meet with the governor and/or staff person every other month to provide input from youth on legislation affecting them
- Youth Advisory Board – a diverse group by age (18-29), gender, ethnicity/race, and education type who set direction and policy for Energizing Young Voters
- Internships (data analysis, research, …) – semester length, university students
- Service Points – Volunteerism, high school age —social media monitoring, administrative assistance, VOTE411 nudging, presenting, materials reviews
- Student Advocate Toolkit – using this reference tool, help others register and vote
- Curriculum Development and Evaluation
SCHOOL-BASED VOTER REGISTRATION INITIATIVES
- League of Women Voters -visit https://www.lwv.org/ and scroll down to find your local League. Contact them to set up a voter registration drive in your area
- Student Voting Toolkit slides and guides (English & Spanish) to help students help older adults navigate unfamiliar registration and voting procedures
Have a Look
Hot Topics
Meet the Developers
Patricia L. Supplee
Education Director
Patricia's Bio
Patricia L. Supplee, Ed.D. is currently the Director of Energizing Young Voters, an initiative of the League of Women Voters. She is a retired educator who taught nationally and internationally at all levels, preschool through university, held administrative positions, and most recently served as a consultant for the Department of State and Georgetown University. Her areas of specialization include curriculum development and evaluation, professional development, and education of the gifted.
Peggy Dellinger
president of the LWV
Peggy's Bio
Peggy Dellinger is the past president of the League of Women Voters of Southern Monmouth County. She is the recipient of the state League of Women Voters’ 2019 Distinguished Leadership Award, the Asbury Park Women’s Convention 2018 Community Star Award, and the 2016 Monmouth County Jane Clayton Award “for outstanding efforts to preserve Monmouth County history.” In her professional career, she coached corporate leaders and co-designed and delivered seminars where corporate and nonprofit leaders aligned strategy with organizational purpose.
Luisa Paster
Advisory Board
Luisa's Bio
Luisa Paster is a librarian retired from 30 years at Princeton University, where she served as Head of the Database Management Section of the Library, Staff Development Librarian, and Staff Development Specialist in the Human Resources Department. She holds Master’s degrees both in Teaching and in Library Science, and has consulted extensively with NJ libraries to develop and present seminars for staff on a variety of public service issues.
Merry Brennan
Merry's Bio
Martha Maselko
Martha's Bio
Martha Maselko has worked inside ATT as a trainer, organizational development consultant, and manager of Affirmative Action Training. She established and held the first ombudsperson function within ATT and trained others across the company. She started a national organization for ombudspeople. Martha has consulted with numerous organizations in the areas of training and conflict management. She holds a Master’s degree in Counseling specializing in group processes.
Lisa Kay Solomon
Lisa's Bio
“The future doesn’t have to be something that happens to us.”
Lisa Kay Solomon designs environments, experiences and classes to help people expand their futures, adapt to complexities, and build civic fellowship. Her work blends imagination with possibility, building the capacity to take the long view when today’s problems seem overwhelming.
Currently a Designer in Residence at the Stanford d. school, Lisa focuses on bridging the disciplines of futures and design thinking, creating experiences like “Vote by Design: Presidential Edition” and “The Future’s Happening” to help students learn and practice the skills they don’t yet know they need. She’s the creator of the AllVoteNoPlay.org playbook that helps thousands of collegiate athletes flex their civic leadership skills. At the d.school, she teaches classes such as Inventing the Future where students imagine, debate and analyze the 50-year futures of emerging tech, and works closely with the K12 community to make futures thinking a mainstay of 21c core curriculum.
Named one of ixDA’s Women of Design 2020, Lisa has also taught leadership and design at the California College of the Art’s MBA in Design strategy, was the founding Chair of Singularity University’s Transformational Practices effort, and has guest lectured at organizations and leadership institutions around the world.
Lisa co-authored the bestselling books Moments of Impact: How to Design Strategic Conversations that Accelerate Change, and Design A Better Business: New Tools, Skills, and Mindset and Strategy for Innovation, which has been translated into over a dozen languages. Lisa created the popular LinkedIn Learning Courses Leading Like a Futurist and Redesigning How We Work for 2021, and has written extensively on helping leaders productively navigate ambiguity through teachable and learnable practices.
Jenny Bisha
Jenny's Bio
Jenny Bisha has been in the field of education for over 15 years. She specializes in developing self-determination for students from marginalized communities who have disabilities that impact their education. She is a Colorado-based data-focused educational leader committed to equity in education through inclusion and universal design for learning. Jenny is grateful for the LWV and honored to be a part of the education team in Boulder County, Colorado, where she is committed to energizing young voters.
