Meeting the Mood
The need for a pause is real, and so is the need to continue.
In the month+ since Election Day, I’ve been on something of a learning and listening tour, trying to absorb the most insightful reflections about what the current moment means for our democracy, where we go from here, and the flavor and intensity of emotion surrounding it all.
I’ve heard the word “pause” a lot, meaning folks who poured their energy and resources into the election are in the mood to take a break. Part of the pause is the daunting reality that voting rights have been under attack for years, and the incoming administration is poised to double down on such efforts. It’s also planning to drastically weaken public education.
The Civics Center strenuously opposes these efforts and will continue to do so. And we understand the need to take a step back to assess how best to strengthen our democracy, the methods and resources needed to make it work better, and especially the challenges facing young people in participating.
But underneath the desire to pause, we see a sense of longing: I’m hearing about the need for human connection, long-term organizing, and leadership for sustainable impact. In all of it there is hope, or at least a desire for hope.
At the same time, from students and educators, I’ve been hearing the opposite of pause. I’ve been hearing they want more:
Students want more stickers, more T-shirts, more training opportunities, more gift cards, more events where they can meet one another, more opportunities to be featured on our social media channels and to allow others to benefit from their experience.
Educators want more curricular materials, more toolkits, more data, more stipends for training with us, more videos, more one-on-one time and more opportunities to connect with others.
In other words, they all want stronger and deeper levels of engagement. It’s exactly what we want them to want. More infrastructure and support for becoming the agents of their own political empowerment and for taking their place as youth leaders strengthening democracy.
Our work at The Civics Center represents an effort to strengthen liberal democracy and to prevent authoritarianism.
We seek to put power in the hands of the rising generation, not solely in preparation for a specific election, whether it be 2024, 2026, or beyond, but as part of a lasting system for welcoming future voters into our democracy year after year. That system is grounded in developing the leadership capacity of the students themselves and to strengthen their commitment to democratic values.
How do we get there? We train high school students and educators how to run voter registration drives in their schools. Twice a year, every year. The process teaches rising generations an appreciation for democracy and how to organize, participate in, and improve it.
When we establish voter registration drives as a recurring activity in high schools, we open a door to conversations about issues that affect students’ lives and communities. We invite them to consider their power and how best to use it.
And they learn the basics that sadly they are just not getting in their regular school curriculum, like the fact that you need to register in order to be able to vote in the first place and which government officials are responsible for decisions that impact their lives. We point them to trustworthy resources to research positions of those running for office so they can make informed choices.
Voter registration may sound dry or bureaucratic or “merely” administrative, but our country’s lack of an effective system for welcoming all young people into our democracy has a range of serious negative consequences. When young people are not registered, candidates, campaigns (especially those for state and local elections) and pollsters cannot see them, and thus do not engage with their concerns. A vicious cycle exists in which young people feel left out (because they are left out). That feeling perpetuates cynicism and disengagement.
It seems like an obvious point, but when young people are not registered, they can’t vote. In the midterm elections of 2022, 2014, and 2010, according to US Census data, roughly 5 million 18- and 19-year-olds were disenfranchised because they were not registered. In 2018, a high-water mark, the number of disenfranchised was “merely” 4.5 million.
There is very little existing infrastructure in American high schools today, but since 2018 we at The Civics Center have been building a foundation for it. The foundation rests on education, organizing, reliable data, human relationships, and trust.
Our work is methodical and deliberate. We like to think of it as an orchard at harvest time. Seeds and plantings don’t bear fruit right away, but over time and with some regular maintenance, the orchard delivers year after year.
In 2024, we demonstrated the value of the steadiness, consistency, and long-term mindset we began with in 2018. We doubled (over 2022) the number of high schools holding voter registration drives, and increased the number of students and educators trained by 350%. In diverse areas like Pennsylvania, Southern California, Ohio and New Hampshire, we’ve seen school participation increase as relationships deepen, and one school community sees what their neighbors are up to. This is the tip of the iceberg.
Our solution stands up against rigorous testing, including the test of time. We’re now in our sixth year, and we’ve completed three separate studies, each of which shows that school communities that have held drives through our training increase their voter registration rates for 18-year-olds by more than 5 percentage points in a single go. That’s huge.
When democracy funders lament, understandably, that dollars they invested in other efforts in 2024 went to ephemeral tactics instead of building leadership and infrastructure for the long-term, we offer The Civics Center as an investment in a proven, lasting solution.
High school voter registration is the most under-appreciated and underfunded method we have for strengthening our democracy. 4 million Americans turn 18 and graduate from high school every year. Our goal is to end the decades of neglect that this country has tolerated in failing to welcome them into democracy.
Fundamentally, high school students and educators need to know we – those of us who care about democracy and the role of young people in making it better – are here for them. This work is not and cannot be a boom-bust enterprise.
The need for a pause is real, and so is the need to continue. So is the need to provide the steadiness that has gotten us this far and on which students and educators have come to rely. So is the need to help young people appreciate that no, our democracy is not perfect, and no, voting is not the only tool, but yes, they have power, yes they can make a difference, and yes voting is part of it all.
The nihilistic forces that bombard their social media feeds invite them to prefer anger and cynicism. We invite them instead to put the values of democracy into practice and to learn the skills to connect and collaborate with others. We invite them to imagine a world in which we all can thrive.
This video recap of our work gives us energy and helps us feel unstuck. If you like what you see, please let us know. Please repost or share it with a friend. And, when you’re ready, please lend your support.