Intro
Opportunities like New Student Orientation and Welcome Week are great ways to introduce students to the Motivote resource, encourage sign-up’s ahead of election season, and support on voter registration. Use this guide to learn more about how and why this works, and to gather ideas for implementation.
Big Picture: The Why
Why include voter education and registration in events like New Student Orientation and Welcome Week?
Programming like Orientation and Welcome Week are one of the few opportunities to connect with all incoming students. It’s a great opportunity to both introduce them to Motivote as a resource and help them get registered for the first time.
When students arrive on campus, they’re learning about many different opportunities that your institution provides. They're eager to hear about everything you have to offer, and already signing up for multiple tools and resources.
This is a great time to introduce Motivote as a resource that your institution provides to help navigate this important aspect of US life and build lifelong civic habits.
Here are some additional benefits to incorporating Motivote and voter registration:
When students get to campus, it’s likely their first time being eligible to vote — and they’ll need to decide whether to register on campus or at home. There is often uncertainty about this, and you can guide through this process.
By creating space for them to register as soon as they get to campus, you increase their likelihood that they’ll vote in their next election.
Then, when it’s time to get ready to vote in the upcoming election a couple months later, they only need to confirm their registration is still accurate.
Returning students benefit, too. Since registration must be at your current address, students who move residences between years can update their status too.
☝️ TIP: It's best to encourage Motivote sign-up's during election "off-seasons" when possible. Why? It's a less noisy environment, since students aren't already being contacted by campaigns and other efforts. Students can sign up at any time, even when there aren't elections coming up. After saving their registration address, they'll get an automated notification about their next election.
Presentation Content and Talking Points
If you’ll have a presentation or breakout group, this is a great way to introduce Motivote and encourage sign-ups. For content ideas, view partner examples.
In-Person Touchpoints
Here is a potential structure, which can be adapted to the length of time you have:
Provide an intro to your office/coalition and how civic engagement and voting fits in. Then frame Motivote as a resource you provide to help make it easier to vote and provide a quick overview of what the tool does.
If using slides, prominently display the Motivote dashboard URL and QR code. Consider adding screenshots of your branded Motivote portal so they get a sense of what it will look like before engaging.
After giving the overview of Motivote, pause for 1-2 minutes to have students visit the link and engage (either signing up or activating account via SSO).
Consider a time-bound reward for engaging during the session, so that students are incentivized to do it before leaving. For example, everyone who activates Motivote or saves their address is entered to a raffle at the end of the session.
TIP: Track user engagement in real-time with the Admin Portal, and use the Google Random Number Generator to select the winner(s).
Virtual Touchpoints
If meeting with a group of students virtually, follow the same suggested structure as above with these adaptations:
In addition to the URL and QR code on slides, share a link to Motivote in the chat.
You can keep your Dashboard or Admin Portal open to see new sign-ups come in and shout out individuals as you see their names.
💡 Looking for more campus rollout and engagement strategies? Check out our partner snapshots for example of slide decks featuring Motivote.
Additional Resources
Stony Brook University Institutionalized Voter Registration at New Student Orientation - Stony Brook University