Register to Vote! National Voter Registration Day
The Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy is proud to participate in the 2021 National Voter Registration Day. Let's make sure every Wildcat is #VoteReady.
National Voter Registration Day (nationalvoterregistrationday.org) is celebrated every year on the fourth Tuesday of September. First celebrated in 2012, it is a nonpartisan civic holiday that celebrates our democracy, and one that involves the collective efforts of thousands of volunteers, nonprofit organizations, businesses, schools, libraries, election officials, and more from all over the country. This year, National Voter Registration Day will take place on September 28.
Since 2012, nearly 4.5 million voters have registered on the holiday, including 1.5 million in 2020 alone. Over 4,500 partners joined in the effort last year. But National Voter Registration Day is more than just a single day of action and more than just collecting lots of new voter registrations. It’s about engaging citizens who have been left out of the democratic process, sparking civic volunteerism, educating voters, and promoting shared democratic values. And most importantly, it’s about Americans celebrating the freedom, rights and opportunities we all share as participants in our country’s democracy.
In Kansas, you have until October 12 (at noon) to register in order to be able to vote in the General Election. Between October 13- November 1, you can vote early through Advance voting for the General election. You can vote by mail or in person at the Riley County Courthouse. The General Election is November 2.
All citizens can look up their Kansas voter registration records at KSVOTES.ORG and update any changes of address or name. If you're not sure, check!
Registering for the first time? The KSVOTES.ORG app or the Secretary of State website offer online access to registering. For more resources, visit ICDD's Vote page with information about how to exciting your civic right and duty by voting.
Summer Workouts for Facilitators - June 16, 26
Hundreds of Kansans have been trained at ICDD workshops since our beginnings in 2006, and a common theme we hear during these sessions is the need for practice before actual public conversation events. ICDD Associates Susanne Glymour and Donna Schenck-Hamlin are offering trainees a chance to do just that in "workout" exercises with fellow facilitators this summer. Space is limited, so if you are an ICDD-trained facilitator wanting to sign up, please email icdd@ksu.edu subject: WORKOUTS, and specify one of the following options:
___ June 16 (WED) 6:30 - 8:00pm ONLINE (zoom address will be emailed to facilitators)
___ June 26 (SAT) 10:00 - 11:30am IN PERSON (location will be emailed)
___ Can't make either, but let me know when the next exercises are planned
4H Youth Expand Facilitation Skills and Engagement
Stories Matter is an Extension 4H youth development project built from a series of successful training and public engagement events. Participating in Conversation Bootcamp establishes the norms and best practices of public conversation facilitation. With training, 4H youth from across Kansas have offered Community Conversations on public policy issues using National Issues Forums (NIF) discussion protocols. Several events, including a ground-breaking deliberative approach to the annual Citizenship in Action at the state capital in 2020, were led by 4H facilitators using NIF methods. Another mode of facilitation being learned and applied in 4H to community conversations is Visual Thinking Strategies (watch demonstration), where participants are asked a series of questions while viewing art as a way to encourage multiple interpretations and thoughtful listening. The Stories Matter sequence has grown under the leadership of Aliah Mestrovich Seay, 4-H Youth Development Specialist for Community Vitality and ICDD's Extension Liaison. Read more on youth leading community discussions on difficult topics.
(November 12, 2020)
Put Yourself on the Map
Are you a facilitator with skills to offer communities in need of productive conversation? Add your profile to the Kansas Civic Life Project, which aims to bring communities together with civic professionals capable of facilitating what might sometimes be rather difficult discussions. The map is a directory that demonstrates the breadth of civic discourse skills across our state. Enlarge your own contacts by consulting this map, and inquire into modes of conversation that you can learn and experience.
