Resolution 2023-F5-3002

Civic Engagement English Course Campaign

Chief Sponsor(s): Representative Saide Flores, Representative Alexis Mata, Representative Maddy
Lopez, Representative Karina Santana, Representative Jeremy Rivera, Representative Aryaman Narang,
Representative Grace Sands, Director Aparna Ramakrishnan
Co-Sponsor(s): Director Haider Asad, Speaker of the House Michelle Zhou, Chief of Staff Quinn Basta
WHEREAS, the Undergraduate Student Government is dedicated to promoting civic engagement and
empowering students to vote in all elections, as well as serving students and fortifying relationships
among university programs that will empower student voices; and
WHEREAS, many students cite the complicated processes and inaccessible information about deadlines
and registration as obstacles that inhibit them from casting and understanding their ballot; and
WHEREAS, there are current and historical inequities in voter education leading to our democracy not
being inclusive; and
WHEREAS, voter turnout for college-aged individuals has been historically low; as seen in the latest
Chicago mayoral elections of February 2023, the age group 18-24 had the lowest voter turnout at only
3% of 18,175 ballots casted; and
WHEREAS, the University of Illinois at Chicago is an institution that prides itself on the diversity of its
student body and it is the responsibility of the Undergraduate Student Government to ensure that every
student has the necessary information on how to register to vote and cast a ballot; and
WHEREAS, the First Year Writing Program houses required courses, ENGL160 and ENGL161, that all
University of Illinois at Chicago students must take, and therefore would be the program that has the
most outreach to students; then
LET IT BE RESOLVED, that the Undergraduate Student Government will work in conjunction with the
Student Leadership and Civic Engagement department to create a short campaign on informing students
of how to vote and educating them on civic engagement through non-partisan means.
LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, that the campaign will be spread to students through the First Year
Writing Program (ENGL 160/161), and the data collected will be reviewed and improved upon by the
Undergraduate Student Government and the Student Leadership and Civic Engagement department.
LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED, the Undergraduate Student Government and the Student
Leadership and Civic Engagement department will analyze the number of students who registered to
vote, those who clicked on the link to get educated to vote, and those who looked over ways to empower
their voices in order to continue to improve this pilot civic engagement program.