The Voter Access Initiative coordinates and amplifies voter participation and civic engagement opportunities across MICA’s campus. This work group arose organically from a student organization and several offices on campus whose efforts focused on voter education and electoral turnout.
As a premier art and design school in the US, MICA’s campus is bubbling with creative ways to get involved outside the classroom. VAI taps into this energy by engaging students, faculty, and staff in designing vibrant posters, making GOTV buttons, and sharing voting-related photos and messages on social media. These activities contribute to the culture of excitement about voter participation and other forms of civic action on campus.
Awards & Recognition
- 2022 Student Voting Honor Roll Recipient, Declan McKenna ('21)
- 2020 Best In Class Campus Awards, Best Action Plan (tied) for Private 4-Year Institutions
- 2020 Student Voting Honor Roll Recipient, Jenny De La Cruz ('22)
- 2018 Student Voting Honor Roll Recipient, Maddie Wolf ('19)
- 2018 Campus Champion Award, Highest Registration Rate
- 2018 Best In Class Campus Awards, Best Action Plan for Private 4-Year Institutions
MICA proudly partners with the following organizations:
- ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
- Ask Every Student - Co-designer Campus
- Baltimore Collegetown Campus Voting Community of Practice Member
- Baltimore Votes
- For Freedoms
- The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE)
- National Voter Education Week - Creative Partner
- TurboVote
- Vote Early Day
- Voter Friendly Campus
- #VoteTogether
Check out the latest report to learn more about the work of MICA's Voter Access Initiative. The report serves as a summary and celebration of the events, activities, and collaborative efforts throughout fall 2020.
2020 VAI FALL SUMMARY REPORT | 2018 VAI FALL SUMMARY REPORT
ALL IN Action Plan
In 2018, MICA joined the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to make democratic participation a core value on campus. In joining ALL IN, MICA created an action plan that served as an organizing document for the 2018 midterm elections, as well as a long-term strategy for the work.
2022 ALL IN ACTION PLAN | 2020 ALL IN ACTION PLAN | 2018 all in action plan
MICA's Voter Turnout Data
The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) provides MICA with reports on student registration and voting rates. NSLVE is a service to colleges and universities interested in learning about their students' voting habits, as well as a national database for research on college student voting and, more broadly, political learning and engagement in democracy.