U-M Creative Currents

Campus Voting Project

• Arts Initiative • Season 2 • Episode 4

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From making a personal voting plan and getting registered to vote, Mark Clague walks through the 2024 election hub at UMMA with Professors Stephanie Rowden and Hannah Smotrich to discuss the nonpartisan Creative Campus Voting Project on this episode of U-M Creative Currents.

Since 2018, the pair have been utilizing behavioral science insights and art and design to expand access to voting, create meaningful lifetime experiences for first-time voters, and demystify the overall voting process.

The UMMA space is open now for registration and early voting. 



Mark Clague:

Hello, everybody. We're here for another episode of Creative Currents. We're at the University Museum of Art on the Ann Arbor campus. I'm here with two professors from the Stamps School of Art and Design, Ana Smatric and Stephanie Rauch. But we're here for a very exciting reason, which is the Creative Campus Voting Project, which has just launched at the University Museum of Art. Tell us a little bit about the project. Could you start us off, Stephanie? Yeah, so we have just launched the first of two campus voting hubs. This one is at UMA, and we're really excited because starting this last Tuesday, students who choose to vote in Ann Arbor and community members can register, can get a ballot, and vote it here, and they can also interact with our Umich Votes fellows and ask questions and interact with a lot of resources that we have here. Yeah, I'll Tell us a little bit of what inspired this or what are you trying to accomplish with this project? I'll back out a little bit from the Campus Voting Hub, which is so 2024 will be our fourth election that the Creative Campus. Correct. We started in 2018. Thank you. And with the Creative Campus Voting Project more generally has been working to make voting more accessible for for college students. We've often found that the process is extremely new for most voters. It's a little bit confusing. Maybe their first election ever. Absolutely, absolutely. Or if not, it's only their second, right? And oftentimes they're voting in a new state for the first time as well. So as we know, all the rules change state by state. And it can be a little bit of an intimidating experience. So what we found is that art and design actually has a lot to offer in this space. So we've been sort of prototyping and thinking about what design can contribute since 2018. And I'd say our voting hubs as they exist in 2024 is really a culmination of several cycles of learning and iterating. That's really fascinating that art and design can contribute to the voting process. I mean, when we think about art, at least for me as a scholar, you know, art is very political. It expresses certain viewpoints, you know, particular artists bringing their own identity to the fore. But that's not what you're doing here, right? This is I think you said, Stephanie, this is a thousand percent nonpartisan. So in what ways is your design nonpartisan? So I'm going to back out a little bit and talk a little bit more about art and design, and then we'll get to nonpartisan. So the beauty of our collaboration is that we're actually bringing design and art together. So I really think of this project as operating at the intersection of civic design and participatory public art. And we'll talk about how that plays out in a few ways here. And I think there are things that you will see here that obviously look like they benefit from art and design thinking in the most obvious ways in terms of color and form and scale and how to make something really aesthetically inviting and welcoming and engaging. But I also think that what art brings to this is diversity. the value of the unexpected and a new way of considering something. And yes, in many contexts, art is political, it provokes, it questions. In this case, I think what we're really bringing in terms of art is that aspect of art that allows us to reimagine possibilities. And I think in this case, we're really reimagining what the experience of voting might be like, especially for new voters who will carry this experience with them that may be unexpectedly welcoming, clear, centered in their lives, right? We're here right in the center of campus. They're going to encounter a lot of their peers, both voting, but also helping guide them through the logistics of the process. And it might be unexpectedly delightful as well. Yeah, there's so much pressure and sort of rhetoric around voting and anxiety around voting. Is it fair? Is it not fair? And I think, you know, obviously at a public university, we're trying to create engaged citizens, right? People who are thoughtful and thinking about their vote, but also taking their responsibility, you know, as a public trust, you know, which is what a democracy really is. So a lot of this around sort of design and user experience, I mean, how does design fit into this? I mean, I think there are quite a few barriers to getting through the voting process It's multiple steps. How do you think about this project in terms of leading maybe new voters or people just doing it for the second time through the process? Yeah, so design is embedded actually in every single aspect of the project. So it may be actually way before anything that you see here, which is about 25 to 50 iterations of a sentence, right? How can we use language in a way where it is rigorously accurate and communicating exactly what we mean in relation to the election laws, but also welcoming and friendly, right? And you spoke about sort of the high tension for students in this moment and the high barrier to feeling prepared to engage in the process. So we carefully, carefully craft language to be as welcoming and encouraging and accessible as possible. And then from a design perspective, so that's a part of design, right? It's not what we think of when we imagine design, but then we translate that tone of voice into color, into typographic choices. We're also thinking a lot about, you know, there's a ton of information that would be really helpful to know. But if I deliver all the information at once, we end up delivering none, right? So we also think really carefully about the experience as somebody is moving through not only the space, but the process, right? So actually, what's the part of the information that I need to know when I'm filling out my reg form versus what do I need to know when I'm putting my fully voted ballot into the envelope, right? And distributing that information throughout the space physically and breaking it down into significantly more manageable chunks for folks. I mean, one of the interesting things, so design is, you know, where this is a combination of information design, it's, you know, visual communication design, it's spatial design. We think about sort of exhibition and scale and, you know, what sight lines do you get from where? One of the really interesting things that art and design share is just this incredibly kind of character nuanced attention to the experience of the person in the space. And that's something that we both bring perspectives with slightly different nuance, which together, like the synergy of those sensibilities together from a kind of public art piece and a design piece is sort of where the magic is. Well, we're right here, sort of, we just come through the door. That's a very deliberate choice not to have red and blue. And I think that speaks to just actually the behavioral science, actually, around how to encourage new student voters. This is actually steering away from the red and blue. And I think that what I would love to talk about is not only what this looks like, but what it feels like when you touch it. So this map, which is, I don't know, what is this, about six feet across of the United States, is made out of what I would call delicious, chunky architectural felt, lime green architectural felt. And I think there's something wonderful about having this map, which invites a visitor, perhaps you, Mark, and So the visitor might approach this wall. And find themselves, right? In the process, right? Yeah. I live, I'm a professor here at the university in the scope of music, theater, dance, and run the arts initiative with my colleagues here. I live in Ann Arbor township. So just north, this sort of looks, this cluster must be Ann Arbor, right? So I'm going to put mine right at the top. Now, wasn't that satisfying? It was. And I've already taken an action. I've already done something that shows I belong And I'm part of this story. So I think that's I already feel pretty energized. And the next time you walk through, you might see a change from the day that you put your pin in. You might see a change and evolve over time as well. Oh, that's great. OK, so we really thought a lot about sort of what this what this first part of what we're thinking of is a kind of interactive resource wall that we launched at the beginning of the semester, which is. First of all, how to prompt... people with kind of a really key piece of information, which is college students can choose to vote with their permanent or local address. And there's an invitation, stick a pin where you plan to vote. And just as you said, it's actually very satisfying to make your mark and then also to realize that you are part of a larger collective. Yep. Information on voting in Michigan or voting in my home state, right? Exactly. You've got an iPad here. And we also have by the pin Some things you might want to consider if you are deciding to choose between your local student address and your permanent home district address. Things like what are the logistics? What's on the ballot in each place? What are the deadlines that you have to consider? So we try and be sneakily educational. Yep. Okay. That's great. Well, let's go down here and look at the ballot. So this We're back to our purple and green theme here. We got information on the ballot. It looks a lot like the ballots I've done before. You can fill in the boxes, but tell us about this. What am I supposed to learn from this? Yeah, so you'll notice that there's no candidates listed here. This is sort of an abstracted and hugely enlarged Michigan ballot. It's about eight feet tall. And to the left of it, it says, it's okay to have questions. and an acknowledgement that the ballot can feel overwhelming, but with a little decoding, you can get the hang of it. So we really wanted to focus on what are some top things that would be really helpful for a new voter? The ballot can feel really overwhelming. Students report that it looks a whole lot like a standardized test, which it does, right? So you can imagine that comes with a certain kind of cognitive load. So for example, here we're explaining what straight party ticket voting is. I've learned something here, which is that if you do pick a straight party ticket, you can still override in an individual races. I thought you had to do one or the other. Like, so I've always been nervous about doing straight party ticket because I didn't, I thought it would limit my choices going forward, but you're telling me, no, I'm seeing that the regions of the university of Michigan are one thing I can vote for. So if I'm a student here, these are the people that are basically the ones making the decisions around here. So if I want, I want to choose those people making that decision. That's great. I've got obviously the presidential that but also there's a lot of other stuff on here, including judges. And that might be a surprise for some people. What's also interesting is that the judges is in the nonpartisan section. So we don't have Republican or Democratic or Green Party candidates over here. So I know one of the challenges for me as a voter is figuring out who all these people are and getting that information. So how am I going to get that? Well, actually, one of the resources we've created to help with that. So we actually have new this year, a series of four voting zines, and they're kind of, each of them is pitched toward different aspects of the process that it's essentially answers to the FAQs that we've heard over the last times that we've done this. And the question that you just asked would be answered by a book called, a zine called Know Your Ballot. And so this has a little bit of an introduction to what are the sections of the ballots, but then also has some tips for how you might find out more about candidates and a couple of QR codes to go to some pretty trustworthy, unbiased sources. And then also just some ways to think about, you might look at funding or endorsements. So for instance, you mentioned the judicial candidates where it's technically in the nonpartisan section, which means that they are not listed with party affiliations. But if you take a look at this, you'll see that actually at the Supreme Court level in Michigan, we have something called the Michigan method, which means that actually our judges for the Supreme Court are nominated by parties. So that's not something you would know on the ballot. But were you to do a little bit of research, you would quickly find that out and you'd be able to see whether that's something that could help you make an informed decision. What's interesting, Stephanie, you talk about how this form looks a little bit like a test, you know, and I one of the things I certainly hope my students do for the test is they study a little bit in advance. And I think for me, one of the things I've started to do is I print out my ballot in advance and then actually sort of figure out because, you know, usually the first two or three, the presidential election, I know about that. I know about the senators, but I don't really know about the local proposals. I might not know about the judges or the register of deeds or the sheriff. And I find it's harder and harder to find that information. I think this is a good moment to acknowledge that Arts Initiative was key in bringing this particular project, the voter style personality quiz over the Senate So we thank you for that. This is a project that we've been working on for the last year. So that support was really key in that web design. We're proud to do it and it's exciting to see it all come to fruition. That's great. Should we look at the button area? And who are you? Are you Lindsay? Yes, I am the site manager here for the UMich Votes Fellows. So that's our student group who's helping us run the hubs. So we're helping, essentially just being a welcoming face here to answer questions and get the process going, get them registered, get them prepared to go into the clerk's office and get their ballot and vote early as much as possible. What did you study here at Michigan? I actually graduated last May from Sam's. Oh, wonderful. Yeah. So you know these fine professors. I sure do. So tell us about the buttons. What can we, we get to make one? Yes, you can absolutely make a button. All you're going to do, we've got, we've got these papers here that have different options for fonts for the word vote. You can, amazing. You can color them. You can also flip them over and draw whatever you want. And as soon as you're done, I can help you put them together. I've got lots of buttons I've made over the course of the few days as well. But it's been fun to engage with everyone, help them celebrate voting, and have a fun activity to do. Anyone in the museum is more than welcome to do it and just get voting in their mind and start chatting with us as fellows. I think we can connect very well with the student body and the community members here in Ann Arbor and have a fun, lighthearted activity that can and just get us connected more. When are you open? Can students come by anytime the museum's open or is it a particular time? Essentially, we're open 12 to 6, Monday through Friday right now. And then as we get closer to the election, the timing adjusts a little for our nine days of early voting. We're open 11 to 7 p.m. And then election day is nice and long, 7 a.m. to 8. Yeah. And when students come in, what are the kinds of questions you get asked? What's sort of typical? Yeah, we get a lot of questions surrounding, you know, I'm from out of state and can I vote here? Can I register here in Ann Arbor? And as long as they've lived here for 30 days before the election with an address in Ann Arbor, they absolutely can. College students have that choice to vote with their permanent or local address. So it's great to be able to say, yes, you absolutely can do that. And then we'll get them. So even a first year student who's just arrived on campus by this time would be qualified. Absolutely. Yeah. They move in kind of late August. So at this point, they're good to go. And we get them registered. I think I'm ready for my book. Yeah. So we're going to put this one. I'll take this. Okay. I'm going to put this in here and then flip this around. I'm going to add one of these down in this part. You're going to put that right on top facing up. Awesome. Add one of these sleeves to protect it. And then I'm going to flip this around. I'm going to have you bring this down. we gotta push hard nice okay we're gonna flip it around and then you're gonna do one more time There you go. All right, I've done something. And there's your button. All right. I got swag in the where the action happens in the sort of special exhibit area of UMA. I'm used to seeing like paintings or sculpture in this space, but instead I'm seeing an actual city clerk's office. So tell me about what's going on here. Yeah, so we're here in the beautiful Sten Gallery, which is the gallery right in the sort of center of central campus with the glass windows on two sides. So it's literally a view into democracy in action. So what we have done here is we have set up perhaps the most beautiful city clerk's office in the world, according to the clerks who actually love being here. And this is staffed actually for about 40 days prior to the election by the amazing Ann Arbor City Clerk's Office, who have just been an incredible partner with Umish Votes and the voting hubs in this project at UMA, also at the Duderstadt. And so it makes it possible for a student to kind of walk in and they might interact with a fellow where we were with Lindsay before, fill out a registration form. They can walk in and they hand the registration form directly to the clerk in about two minutes. They are officially registered in the city of Ann Arbor, at which point the clerk will ask them how they would like to vote. Would you like your ballot today? In which case they can be given an absentee ballot. You can see over there, the ballot sorter has, a ballot for all of the precincts in Ann Arbor. This is City of Ann Arbor only. I should be clear about that. And is it just for students or could people in the community? Absolutely. Community members are welcome as well. The only requirement is that you have a City of Ann Arbor address. All right. So I'm out of luck. Sorry. That's okay. Sorry. Yeah. That is often a little confusing. But if you are in the City of Ann Arbor, you are welcome to come here. You can register. You can get your absentee ballot. You can go to the room next door, which we've set up. up as a voting area with voting booths. You can vote your ballot on site if you'd like to and drop it in the drop box that was over by the entry. So it's a one-stop shop for all of your voting needs. Indeed, indeed. So you really can walk in and take care of the entire process start to finish extremely efficiently. But you also have the option during the period from now until October 25th if you prefer, if you are a slow but steady voter, you can also pick up your ballot and take it home with you and take your time voting it as long as you get it back to the ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on election night. And then when we get to late October, when we have the nine days of early voting, this will change a little bit in that when you come in to vote here, you'll be handed the same ballot, except it will be flat and you actually must vote it on site. You'll do that again in the room right next door, and then you'll tabulate it as you would on election day in a regular precinct. So that will be from October 26th to November 3rd. Okay. So for registering now, would I have to register before early voting or could I do this still the same day? You sure can. In fact, you can register all the way up to and including election day. Really? You can. Okay. That's exciting. So there's no excuse. Everybody should come and vote. Indeed. Although we want them to come in early. We want them to come in early. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And if you are someone who prefers to participate on election day, there's no reason not to come in and get yourself registered. And then on election day, you can go directly to your polling place. So in the past, there have been some very long lines here on election day. And I'll just note that the long lines were not for voting. The long lines were folks who waited until election day to do their registration. So if you don't want to be in a long line and you still want that election day excitement or the voting early excitement, the tabulation, you can come register at any point and then vote during the early voting period or at your polling place on election day. That's great. Well, the whole design and everything, it just makes me feel comfortable. It makes it feel clear. I feel confident in what I need to do and the steps I need to go through. So I imagine that's not an accident, Stephanie. What do you think about that day in and day out? Not only how information is communicated, but what's the experience that someone's going to take away? What's the texture of the experience? What's it going to feel like? We know people will not necessarily remember the particulars of what was on the bell the particulars of the rules but they'll remember in some deep way of what it felt like and that's what we're always thinking about so we're really thinking about start to finish you know on the one hand you know making a button is just like oh that's a fun thing but think about it like that was kind of a really simple creative fun thing to do with someone else maybe have a little conversation because that's the end point to your experience right after you you know you've had this accomplishment um you're gonna carry that with you right you're gonna remember just how how what it all felt like. Yeah, how you feel about it is important. It's neat. I mean, it's interesting because we're right in the middle of campus. There are people walking by, people coming through the museum. It just feels like this is part of our lives. This is part of what we're supposed to do. And I don't know, I'm just really grateful for all the work you've done and just putting together this amazing experience and really something where art and design makes us better citizens. So on behalf of the campus, on behalf of everyone who's voting through the Creative Campus Voting Project, thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much. Creative Currents is a project of the University of Michigan Arts Initiative. Please subscribe to hear more great conversations with artists, scholars, and arts leaders from across the campus and across the globe. Send your comments and suggestions via email to creativecurrents at umich.edu. This episode of Creative Currents was produced by Mark Clegg and Jessica Jenks, and our audio engineer is Audrey Banks. Our original theme music is composed and performed by Ansel Neely, a student at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance. To learn more about the University of Michigan's Arts Please visit our website at arts.umich.edu. Thanks for listening.