Voting 101: Empowering students with voter education

The Kirkwood Civic Academy, a student organization launched in 2024, is helping students across campus connect through open, respectful discussions on current issues and learn how to make their voices heard at the polls. 

The Academy’s mission centers on promoting civil discourse in a time when political and social divisions often dominate public life. 

“One of the main things we do on campus is bring together people for campus conversations or dialogues about current events or issues that people care about,” said Finn Kolsrud, co-advisor of the club.  

To ensure productive conversations, student facilitators undergo training in mediation and discussion techniques. 

“We have trained facilitators, students who have gone through a process of learning how to mediate or facilitate conversations,” Kolsrud explained. “Not everyone has to agree. We have people with a wide range of perspectives, but people can disagree in a civil way.” 

Feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. Many students report that the dialogues help them better understand differing viewpoints and sometimes even make unexpected friendships. 

“People have told us they talked to someone they disagreed with but ended up making a new friend,” Kolsrud said. “They didn’t come to a consensus on the issue, but they built mutual respect.” 

In addition to facilitating dialogue, the Civic Academy also promotes civic participation through voter outreach and education. 

The group builds on past faculty efforts that organized Constitution Day and other civic events. 

“One of our goals now with the Civic Academy is to talk to people about voting: how to register, how to find their polling place, those sorts of things,” Kolsrud said. 

The organization’s work focuses on three main pillars: dialogue, preparation and engagement. 

From fostering civil discussions to helping students participate in elections, Kolsrud said he, co-advisor Shawnacy Kiker Perez and the Civic Academy hope to strengthen both community and democracy on campus. 

Finn said students are encouraged to attend the clubs upcoming events. 

Those events include the Student Barriers and Goals dialogue with PTK on Oct. 21, from 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. in Iowa Hall Room A/B,  a Civic Academy meeting from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in 3042 Cedar Hall and a Global Conflict Dialogue on Nov. 17, from 1:30-3 p.m. in Iowa Hall Room A/B.