Voting and civic engagement: Home

What is civic engagement? 

Civic engagement means dedicating oneself to improving the community through participation in both political and non-political activities. People who are civically engaged have the values and knowledge to work for public good. While not everyone has the opportunity to be civically engaged, historically, institutions of higher learning have worked to promote civic engagement (National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement, 2012). 

National Task Force on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement. (2012). A crucible moment: College learning and democracy’s future. Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Ways to be involved

This guide provides links and resources for anyone who wants to be more civically engaged.  

• Vote: how to vote, important dates, where to start researching candidates and issues
• Contact your representative: find out who represents you, what they've done in office, and how you can contact them.
• Staying current: how to stay up to date on the news and delve deeper into issues that interest you

image credit: Hear our voice – Cristyn Hypnar, from Amplifier.org

For More Information

Manuela Hill-Muñoz, the UST Campus Vote Coordinator, can be reached at tommiesvote@stthomas.edu or 651-962-6149, or visit the St. Thomas Civic Engagement site for easy connection to voting resources.