Our Crowdfunding Groups
UT Votes is a student organization at the University of Texas at Austin that invites students campus-wide to increase electoral participation and create more voters and better citizens. Each election cycle, UT Votes, in partnership with the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, organizes and coordinates Get Out the Vote activities including registration booths, deputization sessions, and campus competitions. During off election years, UT Votes educates the UT community and engages in respectful and civil discourse on important issues.
The Civic Engagement Alliance is a non-partisan coalition of student organizations, which UT Votes brought together to increase civic engagement on campus.
NSLVE data shows that UT students in the STEM fields are the least likely to vote, with voter turnout in the following fields: 30.7% Engineering, 30.5% Mathematics, 31.1% Physical Science, and 34.2% Biology. We would like to continue building on a program that would specifically work with students in the STEM fields to encourage more civic engagement.
Civic engagement in the state of Texas is abysmal. Texas constantly ranks as one of the lowest states for voter turnout. Research shows that individuals need to start voting at a young age if they are to create a habit of voting. Students at the University of Texas represent communities across the state that will benefit from increased voter turnout in the future. In addition, many voters lack the information they need to vote and do not know who or what to turn to in order to get that information. We want to be considered a trusted source that will provide nonpartisan information that especially relates to UT students. Lastly, the students who participate in UT Votes walk away with skills, experiences, and connections that will help them in their future. We want to be able to provide this opportunity to all students who are interested in joining UT Votes.
UT Votes hopes to invite more speakers to campus. This project will allow us to bring in different members of government - both elected and appointed - to speak with members of the UT community. We hope this, in addition to more civic discourse and government training for UT Votes members, will allow UT students to be more engaged both on campus and in their communities. We will also need to support our rebranding efforts, so items like educational publications, banners, flyers, and promotional materials will be necessary. This project will also support UT Votes and Civic Engagement Alliance meetings.
UT Votes membership has grown exponentially over the past two years. In 2016, members of UT Votes and the Civic Engagement Alliance registered over 17 thousand people on campus to vote. In order to accommodate growth and capitalize on the ideas of
UT students, we are rebranding the organization to ensure that both political participation and political education are central to the identity of the University of Texas. The money you donate will be central to UT Votes continuing this high-level student engagement.
Support one UT Votes Member for one semester. This will allow a member to participate in activities, meet speakers, and fund materials for one semester. For your support you will receive a shoutout on Facebook.
Support a UT Votes Member for one year. This will allow a member to participate in activities, meet speakers, and fund materials for one year. For your support, we will send you a handwritten thank you card and a Facebook shoutout.
This will provide UT Votes the funding to promote one event. Events we have hosted in the past include: an Election Night Watch Party, the Pick Your Politician Contest, and the Register to Vote Rally. For your support we will send you a video shoutout on Facebook and a handwritten thank you card.
Support one UT Votes meeting. At our meetings, we invite speakers, talk about the best ways to help UT students become civically engaged, and grow our community on campus. For your support, you will receive a signed group photo and the rewards listed above.
Support five UT Votes Members for one year. This will allow the members to participate in activities, meet speakers, and fund materials for one year. For your support, you will be invited to attend a UT Votes meeting, in addition to the rewards listed above.
Due to the success of UT Votes in 2016, we are rebranding to include more civic participation beyond voter registration in our programming. We aim to educate students about their civic duties, volunteer more, and invite new and engaging speakers. In order to do this, we need to purchase a new banner, new promotional materials, and spend time designing our new brand. For your support, you will be invited to speak at a UT Votes meeting, in addition to the rewards listed above.
The Civic Engagement Alliance is a non-partisan coalition of student groups, which UT Votes has brought together to increase civic engagement on campus. In 2016, CEA members came together to register over 17,000 people to vote. For your support, you will be invited to a UT Votes event, in addition to the rewards listed above.
UT Votes organizes events for students, holds meetings, leads the Civic Engagement Alliance, and encourages civic participation for all students across the UT campus. This will help us fund these efforts for a semester. For your support, you will receive an engraved gavel, in addition to the rewards listed above.
