Our Story
We began with the idea that, as art and design faculty, our creative toolbox could help address the challenges faced by student voters. In 2018, we co-taught a studio course where students designed a voter engagement campaign for their peers. Since then, we have evolved into a creative research team that works year-round with campus, city and regional partners.
Creative Campus Voting Project Co-Leads,
Hannah Smotrich and Stephanie Rowden
Our unique contribution to the UM-Ann Arbor voter engagement community relies on the power of visual design and the vibrancy of creative play. You can read more about our approach to supporting student voters with art and design in Designing for Participation, an essay we wrote for the ALL IN Democracy Challenge Forbes channel.
Selected Recognition for CCVP's work:
U-M North Campus MLK Spirit Award for Institutional Change & Advocacy, 2024
SEGD/Society for Environmental Graphic Design Global Design Awards, 2021
City of Ann Arbor Proclamation, 2023
Election Center/The National Association of Election Officials, Stars and Stripes Award, 2023
US Department of Education Student Voter Toolkit, featured Example from the Field, 2024
Brennan Center for Justice, cited in report, Voting on Campus: Student-Centered Solutions to Build Election Resiliency, 2024
Selected Press:
10 Campus Museums Shine a Spotlight on Democracy, New York Times
A recap before election day, Michigan Radio
Creative campus project helps U-M students navigate voting, WXYZ Detroit
Behavioral science insights used to create college voter spaces, increase U-M campus voter participation, U-M Michigan News
The Daily Heller: It’s Your Right. Use It or Lose It!, Print Mag: The Daily Heller
University of Michigan students shattered voting records in 2020, Click on Detroit
Creative Campus Voting Project is part of the UMICH Votes Coalition. Together we work to expand access, educate, and engage student voters in the democratic process. Coalition partners include: the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office, U-M Turn Up Turnout, the Ginsberg Center, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, and the Duderstadt Center Gallery. We are grateful for the many colleagues, students, and voting experts that inform and enrich this work.
Our work is supported by the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design,
University of Michigan Office of the Provost, and University of Michigan Office of Research.
Creative Campus Voting Project
Creative Campus Voting Project