...inspiring future leaders through youth empowerment and education!

March on the Vote (MOTV) is a nonpartisan voter education and outreach program that is administered by the Washtenaw County Elections Office. As the chief election official for Washtenaw County, our goal is to create an interactive experience that engages our young residents in the electoral process.

MOTV is a youth-based voter initiative aimed at increasing voter participation among 15-21 year olds, by identifying and reducing the causes of voter apathy. The program takes voting systems into high schools, providing students with the opportunity to vote electronically, learn about local government, and participate in official organized elections. Through interactive involvement within the community, MOTV seeks to significantly increase the number of citizens voting in all elections.

        5 Components to MOTV

1. Presentations – MOTV has created fun and interactive programs using instant voting devices which are designed to provide the young voter with reality-based experience with how the voting process operates, while generating conversations about the electoral process and the importance of participating.
   
2. Student Elections – We also are actively seeking to partner with high schools to help facilitate in-school official elections where students have the opportunity to vote using actual County ballots and equipment and to participate as an election inspector or canvasser.
   
3. Civic Engagement – This youth development program ultimately focuses on increasing civic engagement through student elections, voter drives, internships, and opportunities to run for office, and to write and influence legislation.
   
4. Voter Registration – We aim to create an environment of collaboration among all Washtenaw County voter registration groups in an effort to increase voter registration among the youth population.
   
5. Research – We will continue to gather relevant data related to youth voting patterns in Washtenaw County in order to further determine root causes of non-participation.

If you are interested in receiving more information or would like an MOTV presentation for your students, please contact MOTV Coordinator, Derrick jackson at jacksond@ewashtenaw.org or call (734) 222-6730.  You can also Find us on Facebook.