OneVote is a simple premise: Building on an existing ceremony coupled with technology, youth and adults will be reminded that one of the desired outcomes of education is an involved citizen.
OneVote alone will not restore hope or alter the possibility that more 18-24 year olds will vote for the next “American Idol” than the next American President.
OneVote will provide youth and adults with a set of activities AND stimulate dialogue about what it means to be a citizen in America in the 21st century.
Onevote.org will be a place where students, educators, and community partners can locate and exchange information on how to leverage the high school graduation ceremony as an entry point for recognizing the importance of registering, voting and connecting. OneVote will provide the virtual tools and the basic framework for high schools to award Citizen Diplomas, along with the academic diplomas, to graduating high school seniors as they pledge to become lifelong voters.
CHALLENGE
Youth are disconnected and disinterested from the civic process and the mechanics of voting:
- Youth are the lowest voting cohort
- Youth often do not know how to register or where to vote
- Youth, new to voting, are not comfortable or aware of the actual process of voting.
ONEACTION
Congratulations, today you will receive two diplomas: Your Academic Diploma and your Citizen Diploma.
Your Citizen Diploma recognizes that have pledged to be an active and informed community member, and if given the opportunity you will vote in every local and national election -H.S. Principal, June 2010
OneVote is a three step process for communities:
- Where People Vote: By using local Boards of Election and Google Maps, high school seniors and educators will view what neighborhoods look like where people vote versus where people don’t vote.
- Citizen Diploma: With the basic framework and suggested process provided by OneVote, high schools will create and award “Citizen” Diplomas, along with the academic diplomas, to graduating seniors as they pledge publicly to stay civically engaged in their community and become lifelong voters.
- Video Clip: High school seniors throughout the United States will create videos in the YouTube tradition documenting their experiences during different stages of the voting process. The videos will be submitted to the OneVote website and to web channels with which OneVote has partnered.
OUTCOMES
- One million ‘10 High School graduates will register and publicly acknowledge that they will vote in every local and national election.
- OneVote will build onevote.org: a web 2.0 application with a virtual tool kit for youth, educational institutions, and community organizations on how to target and leverage the high school graduation ceremony as a natural entry point for recognizing the importance of registering, voting and connecting.
- onevote.org will be an ongoing resource for every high school student, and interested teachers and community workers.
- OneVote, one step, one dialogue… Doable in 2010