Educating Students for Political Participation: Bringing "Voting is Social Work" to Life

Elections have become the new battleground for democracy and civil rights. Yet few social work programs provide opportunities for students to gain competency in electoral politics and voter engagement. This article describes an elective course for Master of Social Work students offered in the runup to the 2018 and 2020 elections. Using classroom and community-based learning, students engaged in activities designed to maximize voter participation. Feedback derived from multiple sources speaks to student learning, feelings of accomplishment, a recognition that voting matters, and insights regarding the link between voting and social work. This course represents one model that can be replicated, in whole or in part, as social work programs seek to incorporate voting-related activities into their curricula.