Student Chris Lisle uses the platforms to complete his requirements as with the Campus Election Engagement Project.
When Cal U moved to remote operations in March, political science major Chris Lisle launched a social media campaign to complete his obligations as an Institutional Fellow with the Campus Election Engagement Project.
CEEP is a national, nonpartisan project that helps America’s colleges and universities get as many of their 20 million students as possible to register, volunteer in campaigns, educate themselves, and turn out at the polls.
Institutional Fellows work on a project to institutionalize voter engagement efforts on their campus, in addition to some direct engagement events.
Lisle uses Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for his campaign.
“When things shut down, I tried to combine all that I had been planning to do on campus to social media,” said Lisle, who minors in biology and environmental science. “Obviously I had to change my approach, but it’s what we do, we adapt.”
He shared information on Pennsylvania voter laws, links and a QR code to register to vote online from a smart phone. He also shared where local and national candidates stand on policies and issues relevant to students.
Lisle’s introductory post reached 466 people, with many interactions.
“It has gone very well, and I am pleased that posts regularly get engagement from people that come across them,” he said. “Testimonials from faculty, staff, administrators and student leaders are welcome about why they believe it is important to vote.”
Though he did complete his requirements with CEEP, Lisle still plans to carry out a project this fall. He hopes to team with University Housing for a residence hall competition to see which building can get the most residents to vote.
“I hope this is something that not only takes place this fall, but also becomes something that is done after I have graduated and moved on,” he said. “Whichever building gets the most voters will receive a pizza party or some other prize so they can celebrate their pride and civic engagement.”
Lisle also plans to continue research he began last fall on the Electoral College, which he hopes to use for his honors thesis. He wants to eventually earn his Ph.D. in political management and be involved with campaigns, voter outreach and political organizing.
“This experience has really helped me to figure out what I want to do post-graduation,” he said. “It has been extremely rewarding, and I have loved every minute of it.”