As a national election approaches, a new resource has been developed to empower younger citizens, especially students, with the knowledge they need to confidently navigate the voting process.
Josh Scacco, associate professor of communication and director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy. (Photo by Alessandra Casanova)
The resource, designed by the Center for Sustainable Democracy in collaboration with Innovative Education, is a direct response to the unique challenges that younger voters face – many of whom are not only new to voting, but are also unfamiliar with the specific procedures and responsibilities that come with being a voter in Florida.
"Being a Voter," the title of the course (which is available through Canvas), emphasizes the active role that voting plays in citizenship.
Dr. Josh Scacco, an associate professor in the Department of Communication and director of the Center for Sustainable Democracy says the course fills a critical need for students who may be apprehensive about the voting process.
“This information is designed to meet students where they are with accessible content designed to answer the questions USF students may have about how to check their voter registration, fill out a ballot, or casting a ballot in this election,” Scacco explained.
He added that the format of the course is specifically designed to be engaging, using
text, audio, and visual elements.
“Innovative Education helped to design the look and feel of the Canvas course alongside
the content that the center curated on voting in Florida,” he added.“The course includes
videos created by both the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections as well as
videos created at USF. It also includes content linked to official election sources
in charge of managing elections in the immediate counties surrounding USF.”
Scacco hopes this resource will encourage young voters to be more active participants in the democratic process.
Modules in the “Being a Voter” Canvas course.
“Decisions are made by those who show up. Having more students and younger individuals participate in the voting process may mean significant impacts for the responsiveness of elected officials to concerns that affect younger Americans, including student loan debt, health care access, and economic opportunity,” he said,
Looking ahead, Scacco says the "Being a Voter" course will be continuously updated as voter laws and procedures evolve.
“This Canvas course will be a living entity that will be updated for each election season depending on the resources available and the legal changes to voting that may occur,” he said, “We hope to see this course become a regular resource for successive generations of USF students to learn how to be a voter.”