NSVS brings together practitioners, campus staff, faculty, nonprofit partners, local election officials, and students from across the country to share what’s working, what’s not, and where we go from here in nonpartisan student voter engagement. This is the first time the Summit comes to the Southwest, and the program aims to reflect the full range of voices and expertise doing this work nationwide.

Session proposals are open to campus admin, faculty, nonprofit staff, local election officials, and other civic engagement practitioners, with students welcome when submitting alongside a campus or nonprofit partner. Poster proposals are open to students focused on nonpartisan voter engagement work on their campus.

Proposal tracks include, but are not limited to: student leadership and organizing, voting rights and voter education, nonpartisan civic engagement beyond voting, institutionalization, creativity and storytelling, wellbeing, and navigating challenges.

The deadline for both is 11:59 PM PT on Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

Learn more here and submit your proposal here.

PS: Travel Support is available on a limited basis, with priority given to Minority Serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Community Colleges and Rural Serving Institutions. Deadline is August 16.  Learn more here!

We know that only 1 in 4 young people are regularly involved in the civic life of their communities. That means 64 million young Americans are left out of participating in our democracy.

Youth Service America (YSA) is leading a national alliance of organizations working to build A New Era of Youth Service in America. Launching during America250, the New Era of Youth Service National Strategy leverages the opportunities of this once-in-a-lifetime civic moment to focus the Nation’s K-12 schools and higher education institutions, afterschool and youth development programs, community-based and faith-based organizations, and state and local governments on creating a civic culture that builds on the progress of the last 250 years and strengthens our democracy for the next 250 years.

Read more.

This year’s summit comes at a pivotal moment. As the United States marks its 250th anniversary and we prepare for the 2026 Midterm Elections, we’ll come together to reflect on where we’ve been, examine the challenges and opportunities of our democracy today, and equip the next generation of civic leaders with the tools to create meaningful change.

The summit begins on Tuesday, August 4, at 6:00 PM, with an Opening Ceremony that is open to the public. Friends, family members, community partners, and supporters are invited to join us for an evening of conversation and inspiration as we explore the past, present, and future of American democracy.

Learn more and register.

The Engaged Athlete Fellowship empowers a diverse class of motivated student-athletes to strengthen nonpartisan civic participation on their teams, campuses, and broader communities. This selected cohort works closely with esteemed mentors, established coaches, professional athletes, and The Team to execute a year-long community service project of their own creation.

For more information on the Engaged Athlete Fellowship, including who is eligible to apply, see here.

The 2026-2027 Fellowship Application closes on July 6, 2026.

Email info@theteam.org with any questions.

Whether it’s during early voting or on Election Day, hosting a Party at the Polls event — complete with food, music, and positive energy — is a proven, nonpartisan way to boost student voter turnout and foster a lifelong culture of civic participation. ALL IN will provide training, guidance, swag and other support to help campuses bring nonpartisan voting celebrations to campus. Small party-hosting grants will also be available in some locations.

Fill out our Party at the Polls Interest Form by Friday, July 10.

Join us on Wednesday, August 12, at 12 PM ET for how-tos and innovative strategies to support your students with nonpartisan voter registration.

Register for the virtual event now.

Check out the toolkit here.

All events will be held on Thursdays in July from noon to 1:15 p.m. in Zubrow Commons, located within the Marian E. Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center. Lunch will be served. The series is open to the public, and guests from outside of the Tri-Co are asked to register in advance.

Up first on July 2: “How Communities Build Power” with Andrés Celin ’11:

Andrés Celin ’11, strategic planning and business development lead at Anavi Strategies, former outreach director for the office of Philadelphia City Councilmember Helen Gym, and 2023 City Council candidate, will discuss community power and local democracy. He will be in conversation with Janice Lion, associate director of the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship.

Future conversations:

• July 9 – AI Job Losses, Data Centers & Why We Need Democracy Now More Than Ever
• July 16 – Why is US Foreign Policy Everyone’s Problem?
• July 23 – Democracy Needs Writers- Organizing Creative Labor in a Time of Crisis
• July 30 – The Supreme Court and Other Democratic Emergencies

Click here for additional information and view the specific event date fliers here.

On July 29, the Higher Education Democracy Exchange (HEDEX) will launch as a new resource designed to connect people, resources, and practices supporting democracy-focused work across higher education.

For years, practitioners have done remarkable work in parallel. HEDEX gives it one home—creating opportunities to share knowledge, build connections, and strengthen civic engagement efforts.

Join us for the 30-minute virtual launch on July 29, 2026, 1:30-2:00 PM. You’ll hear voices from the field, see a demo of the platform, and find out how you can help shape what comes next.

Learn more and register.

Unable to attend live? Register, and we’ll send you a link to the recording once it’s available.

National Youth Takeover Day is on Saturday, June 27.

Learn more here.

Join this free national webinar for a timely conversation on the legal and policy context shaping this work. This session will help you:

• Understand the voter engagement activities nonprofits can legally undertake
• Navigate the broader legal and policy context shaping civic engagement
• Get practical guidance on protecting your organization’s role in democracy

Date and Time: Wednesday, June 3, 3:00 PM

Learn more and register.

Read about more findings from the polling, learn about a new initiative to strengthen nonpartisan nonprofit voter engagement, and browse our social media toolkit to share facts with your network.

In the wake of the ruling, states have already begun advancing and passing new congressional maps that could further reduce representation for Black voters and other historically marginalized communities. What began as a single court case has quickly escalated into a nationwide redistricting fight with major implications for voting rights and democracy itself.

The event will feature:

• A presentation from Evan Malbrough, AGF Program Manager for Impact, on the ruling and its implications
• A live Q&A with civil rights attorney Yael Bromberg, Esq.
• A community poll about how the AGF network wants to respond moving forward

Date and Time: Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM

Register.

This free workshop for educators in any location will be focused on the different models educators have used to center the Black and Indigenous histories that are often erased when we teach about the shaping of the country.

Learn more and register.

Most students become eligible to vote in their first elections while they are enrolled at our institutions. We help them to register to vote, we encourage them to participate in elections, and we provide access to objective sources of information about issues and candidates, but we don’t tell them how or for whom they should vote.

In the past few years, we have seen efforts to make it harder for young people to participate in our democracy and access civic engagement opportunities. States have relocated polling places from public university campuses, as well as limited or curtailed initiatives to promote election participation at colleges and universities. Last year, the Department of Education issued a prohibition on using Federal Work-Study funds for nonpartisan voter registration initiatives. And just last month, the Department launched an investigation into Tufts University’s National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), which Tufts has conducted in collaboration with the National Student Clearinghouse since 2013.

The irony of these efforts to stifle student voting is that federal statutes require higher-education institutions to do this work. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended and the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 each include language about the responsibilities of colleges and universities to help their students register to vote and to understand their voting rights and the procedures for participating fully in elections.

Read more.

Clare Antesberger, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge intern and student at Rhodes College, has a few ideas.

Read the article.

College students from across the nation can apply for a synchronous online summer course, “Student Voting, Civil Rights, and the Practice of Democracy,” for three transferable undergraduate credits and an opportunity to receive a certificate on “Voting Rights & Democracy Training.”

Applications are considered on a rolling basis. Priority deadline is May 1 and the final deadline is May 27.

Apply for the course here.

Reach out to vote@bard.edu with any questions.

Studies show that you’re more likely to complete an action if you’ve already made a public commitment to it. That’s why we built this pledge — as a way for you (and your friends and family!) to maintain accountability when it comes to voting.

Not only does voting help your community, but pledging to vote helps your college campus, too.

Find out how you can get involved here.

This is the perfect first step for new or experienced action planners to set your plan and your campus voting coalition up for success.

Date and Time: Wednesday, May 13, 2:00 PM

Register.

As a reminder, the next deadline to submit your 2026 Action Plan is Sunday, May 31.