The campus-wide Brown Votes initiative was designed to improve voter registration, education and participation at Brown. With joint and equal participation from students, faculty and staff and the Swearer Center, Brown Votes streamlines voter initiatives at the University by providing a hub for resource-sharing, communication and coordination among all student groups, faculty members and staff.
Brown Votes
About
Brown Votes began in spring 2020 as a nonpartisan, student-led initiative operating in partnership with the Swearer Center at Brown University.
About
Brown Votes began in spring 2020 as a nonpartisan, student-led initiative operating in partnership with the Swearer Center at Brown University.
University Support for Brown Votes
Brown Votes transitioned from a student group to a University-wide collective impact initiative in 2021. The Operations Committee, Steering Committee, the Swearer Center and the student group work together to advocate for processes that create more democratic participation for all members of the Brown community.
Brown Votes Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is co-chaired by Swearer Center executive director and Vice President for Community Engagement Mary Jo Callan and Assistant Vice President for Government and Community Relations Albert Dahlberg.
Faculty and staff who are interested in joining the Brown Votes Steering Committee can contact austin_wilson@brown.edu to learn more.
Koren Bakkegard, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students
Mary Jo Callan, Vice President of Community Engagement and Stark Family Executive Director of the Swearer Center
Jennifer Casasanto, Associate Dean for Programs and Planning
Al Dahlberg, Associate Vice President, Government & Community Relations
Kathryn Dunkelman, Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Operations and Engagement
Robert F. Fitzgerald, University Registrar
Othniel Harris, Program Manager, Taubman Center
Sean Hendricks, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Student-Athlete Development
Brenda Ice, Senior Associate Dean & Senior Director of Residential Life
Kara Kelley, Chief of Staff for Executive VP of Finance & Administration
Carly Kite Lapinski, Vice President for Marketing Communications and Content Strategy
Sandra Smith, Associate Dean of Executive Education
Zachary Sng Senior Associate Dean of the Faculty
Loc Truong, Assistant Vice President for Campus Life Engagement
William Wittels, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs
Catherine Zabriskie, Senior Director, Digital Learning & Design
Brown Votes Student Group
The Brown Votes student group meets weekly during the academic year, on Sundays at 6:30 p.m. in the Swearer Center. New members are always welcome, and students can serve on one or more of the following operations committees. Email brown_votes@brown.edu with any questions.
- Works to increase voting access through organizing, lobbying and campaigning
- Partners with LetRIVote, Brown Mail Services, Brown Shuttle Service and other organizations to catalyze civic participation on campus and throughout Rhode Island.
Organizes events for the wider Brown community to engage in democratic dialogue, from guest speakers, to faculty panel discussions and community-building nights
- Mobilizes Brown students to vote through cross-campus partnerships, including with Residential Life, Athletics and identity centers
- Organizes on-campus tabling to provide voting resources and helps all members of the Brown community register to vote
- Hosts civic engagement trainings with student groups across campus to promote democratic participation
- Facilitates original research on how Brown students civically engage in their communities
- Synthesizes current events and news to inform the wider community on emerging voter trends on campus and nationwide
Swearer Center Staff and Resources
Swearer Center staff members work directly with Civic Engagement (CE) Fellows and the Brown Votes student group to develop and implement strategies, initiatives and communications aligned with Brown University’s civic engagement priorities.
Initiatives and Programming:
Austin Wilson | Manager of Community-Engaged Learning, Swearer Center for Public Service
Joshua Rodriguez | Associate Director of Co-Curricular Learning, Swearer Center for Public Service
Communications:
Jessica Pontarelli | Assistant Director of Communications, Swearer Center for Public Service
Savanna Illinger | Communications Coordinator, Swearer Center for Public Service
Josie Alston, Civic Engagement Fellow, Swearer Center for Public Service
John Bellaire, Civic Engagement Fellow, Swearer Center for Public Service
Perseverance Unger, Civic Engagement Fellow, Swearer Center for Public Service
Rosetta Schultz, Civic Engagement Communications, Swearer Center for Public Service
Ways to Engage
Learn more about how you can support Brown Votes and other ways to engage in voting advocacy, both on and off campus.
Making an Impact
The efforts of Brown Votes have produced meaningful impact, particularly since it has relaunched as a campus-wide, collective impact initiative rather than a single student group. Opening these avenues for improving connectivity with all student organizations, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and academic and administrative units has proven to be effective and valuable; however, significant work remains to improve and sustain voting and related civic engagement across campus.
Brown’s Voting Turnout History
| 2016 General Election | 62.9% |
| 2018 Midterm Election | 46.1% |
| 2020 General Election | 60.5%* |
| 2022 Midterm Election | Data pending |
Source: https://idhe.tufts.edu/nslveThe National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement
*Due to Brown’s schedule shifts during the COVID-19 pandemic, this number may not be as accurate as in previous years.
ALL IN Voting Challenge
Brown University is a member of the ALL IN Ivy League Voting Challenge, an intercollegiate voter participation challenge. This challenge has created a coalition of students, staff and faculty members from each Ivy League institution who share best practices and resources with one another. This friendly competition aims to increase and improve civic engagement efforts on all participating campuses.
Brown University has earned the Highly Established Action Plan Seal for the 2024 election cycle for developing a nonpartisan democratic engagement action plan. Brown is one of 93 campuses that has earned this recognition so far for the 2024 election cycle.