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Whether you’re using a new technology for the first time or engaging the public in a different way, it takes time, resources, and collaboration to set up new programs for voters. But once you’ve got an initiative up and running, how do you plan for its continued success in the years to come?

Two Michigan clerks—Jody Hansen and Jackie Beaudry—found themselves asking this question after setting up satellite clerk’s offices at their local universities in 2020. They saw tremendous success, registering thousands of new voters while demystifying the voting process. This year, they’re evaluating what worked well in 2020, and where there was room for improvement. Using their reflection and refinement skills, they’re ensuring that their initiatives have an even greater impact in 2022.

Establishing Satellite Clerk’s Offices

Grand Valley State University, located 12 miles west of Grand Rapids in Allendale Township, serves over 24,000 students. And GVSU students have a history of turning out in impressive numbers. On Election Day in 2016, so many first-time student voters showed up at a polling location that election workers were overwhelmed and long lines formed.

In 2020, to prevent a similar situation from happening, former Township Clerk Laurie Richards established a satellite clerk’s office on GVSU’s campus. Student voters could stop by anytime during the two weeks leading up to the General Election. As an added bonus, they wouldn’t have to travel too far to vote. The satellite office was located at the Kirkhof Center, the hub of student activity at the center of campus, and offered a “one-stop shop” where students could register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and vote in person.

About 150 miles southeast from GVSU is the University of Michigan, the state’s oldest university which serves over 48,000 students. That high student population means there’s a lot of potential to engage thousands of new college-age voters. Ann Arbor City Clerk Jackie Beaudry understands that voting for the first time can be intimidating and sometimes confusing. So in 2020, in an effort to increase civic engagement on campus, she helped establish a satellite clerk’s office at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA).

In a typical year, UMMA welcomes 250,000 visitors. But in 2020, the UMMA gallery was not being used due to COVID-19. It turned out to be the ideal venue to welcome and reassure new college-age voters. It’s located at the center of campus, and its floor-to-ceiling windows allow passersby to see what’s going on inside. In fact, the satellite office was highlighted in Electionline for its innovative use of design to make the voting process more visible and accessible.

“We were kind of nervous at first with the concept,” reflects Jackie, “because you’re in a museum and everything is pretty and artistic. And we thought, voting is not really that pretty. And how is this going to work with computers and papers?” But the project proved that voting can indeed be aesthetically pleasing. The setup not only was beautiful, but it was also functional. Clear signage guided students through each step of the voting process, while the design elements created a welcoming space for them. “It felt like somewhere students were meant to be,” says Jackie.

Making Improvements for 2022

The satellite offices at GVSU and UMMA made voting more accessible and convenient for college-age voters in 2020. Ann Arbor and Allendale Township registered thousands of voters and collected thousands of ballots. Still, there was room to further improve voters’ experiences for the upcoming 2022 elections.

When Jody Hansen was elected Allendale Township Clerk in 2020, she immediately knew that she wanted to build upon the existing partnership between the clerk’s office and GVSU. “This original satellite office provided a much-needed service to our on-campus voters and laid the groundwork to continue to expand on those services,” she says.

In 2020, the GVSU Office of Student Life heard from students that they wished the hours of operation had been extended. The satellite office was open until 5 p.m. on Election Day, while other voting locations in the township were open until 8 p.m. “I’m glad there was a spot on campus,” said Derek Jakielek, a senior at GVSU at the time. But he added, “a lot of people wanted to get in line, and I think 5 o’clock is a little bit early.” In response to that feedback, Jody worked with the Office of Student Life to ensure that the satellite office will be open for the entire duration of voting hours in 2022. These additional hours of operation will help accommodate students’ different class schedules and give them more flexibility to vote at a time that’s convenient for them.

Jody continues to work with the Office of Student Life to get more students engaged in the civic process this year. For the first time, the satellite office will open two weeks prior to the primary election this August, giving students yet another opportunity to exercise their right to vote. And students who reside in Allendale Township won’t be the only ones who will benefit. Those who are registered to vote out-of-state will also be able to turn to the satellite clerk’s office for assistance. They’ll be able to find contact information for their local clerk’s office to request absentee ballots, and determine where they should send those ballots. “These improvements will provide easier access to valuable on-site services,” says Jody, “and we anticipate a significant increase in the number of voters that will seek assistance from our satellite office.”

Just like Jody, Jackie is also working on plans to improve the satellite office at UMMA for 2022. The University of Michigan actually consists of three campuses scattered across 3,000 acres of land. While thousands of students utilized the office at UMMA (located on central campus) in 2020, Jackie wants to make it as easy as possible for students all over the university to access their services without having to trek to central campus. So this year, she’s collaborating with the university to open up a similar pop-up style satellite office at the north campus.

The pop-up office will incorporate the popular elements from the office at UMMA, namely using art and design to create a welcoming environment for student voters. While Jackie and the team are still ironing out the details of the space’s theme, they do have some ideas. One option they are considering is centering the design on the history of voting on campus, “maybe featuring news articles from various presidential visits,” says Jackie. “Something that will draw students to that north campus site.”

The pop-up-site will utilize student volunteers, who in 2020 welcomed their peers, answered questions, and helped them request ballots from other states. “All of the time we were open, there were always clerk staff as well as university staff and students helping. And we would expect that same sort of relationship this time around,” says Jackie. Because the north campus site will be one piece of a bigger project, the pop-up office there may only be open a couple of days a week. But the student volunteers will remain a constant presence to answer their peers’ questions and connect them with the information and resources they need.

Engaging Student Voters and Debriefing Elections in Your Jurisdiction

Engaging new voters may be one of the most impactful actions that election officials can take. After all, voting in just one election increases the likelihood that a person will become a lifelong voter. If you’re interested in engaging student voters, both Jody and Jackie recommend reaching out to your local university and forming a partnership. “The collaboration and insight from everyone are what is going to ensure the smoothest process,” says Jody.

Even if your election office doesn’t have the capacity to set up a satellite office, there are still many ways that these partnerships can be beneficial to your office and to voters. Jackie says that the School of Art and Design was able to help her team simplify their messaging and graphics, ultimately making the voting experience clearer and more user-friendly. “We got a lot of help that we didn’t even realize we were missing,” she reflects.

For more guidance on fostering partnerships with universities, the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge have created an Election Official and Campus Engagement Report & Toolkit. It includes a list of action items you can take to get started, including:

• Creating a page on your website to support college student voters
• Working with campuses to initiate voter education events
• Recruiting college students to be poll workers
• Setting up student internship opportunities

And if you would like to reflect on any of your current programs to improve for the next election, our Guide for debriefing elections can help walk you through that process. The guide covers three main steps for your debriefing process:

1. Creating a survey to gather information from your workers
2. Analyzing their survey responses
3. Learning more with a group conversation

Finally, for more information about Jody and Jackie’s experiences setting up and improving the satellite offices, you can reach out at [email protected] and [email protected].