The Voter Access Initiative coordinates and amplifies voter participation and civic engagement opportunities across MICA’s campus. This work group arose organically from a student organization and several offices on campus whose efforts focused on voter education and electoral turnout.
As a premier art and design school in the US, MICA’s campus is bubbling with creative ways to get involved outside the classroom. VAI taps into this energy by engaging students, faculty, and staff in designing vibrant posters, making GOTV buttons, and sharing voting-related photos and messages on social media. These activities contribute to the culture of excitement about voter participation and other forms of civic action on campus.
Maryland Institute College of Art was recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for its excellence in promoting civic engagement through voter participation during the 2018 midterm elections. MICA was honored with two awards — the Champion Award, for having the highest registration rate of all participating campuses, as well as the Best in Class Award for small, private, four-year institutions for our Campus Action Plan. Recent graduate Maddie Wolf (General Fine Arts BFA) was also recognized with the Honor Roll, and was one of only 10 students selected across the country to receive this honor.
