Voting by Design: Getting Debate Ready

What a week it’s been! Our National High School Voter Registration Week programs were outstanding, largely thanks to your generosity in sharing and spreading the word. In just one week, we reached over 1,000 more students with Vote by Design’s nonpartisan educational offerings.

Highlights of the past week included a powerful For Students, By Students event facilitated by high school senior Zoë Jenkins, a rising civics leader in Kentucky; the full launch of our Nearpod resources, now accessible for free to any teacher online; and a high-energy session with the Chicago Bulls! In the coming days, we’re looking forward to a full calendar of events, including an online training with Campus Compact, our local “Voice Your Vote” popup at StreetCode Academy, and a public webinar on teaching elections with iCivics on October 7th. To stay up to date with all of our news and events, follow Vote by Design on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

This Tuesday, September 29th, is the first Presidential debate of the 2020 campaign. We’ve created a special Presidential Debate Worksheet to help put the principles of critical thinking, active listening, and deliberative reflection into practice.

We recommend looking at the Vote by Design Leadership Criteria Worksheet ahead of the debate to review what the job of the U.S. President is, and to reflect on what past experience, leadership qualities, and personal attributes are most important to do that job well. (BTW, we love the idea of virtual debate watching parties!)

Debates aren’t about “winning or losing,” or creating the most tweetable moment. Rather, debates offer us a chance to gather more data to evaluate the best candidate for the job. As one student said after a recent Vote by Design workshop, “Identifying my values ahead of time helped me see the differences in how each candidate presented themselves as the future leader of our country.”

Our mission is to amplify the power of our voices and votes. As the final weeks of the 2020 Presidential election unfold, help us show our next generation of voters that democracy isn’t something that happens to them, it’s something they can shape through their informed engagement – and of course, their vote.