DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate will host a two-day College Voter Engagement Summit this Friday and Saturday at the State Capitol to help prepare students for the 2018 elections and identify best practices for non-partisan voter registration drives on campus.

"There are 300,000 college students in our state and I want all of them to register to vote and participate in our elections," Secretary Pate said. "It is important that students understand the process so that they are Voter Ready for the primary in June and the general election in November."

More than 70 participants from 16 colleges and universities across Iowa have registered for the College Voter Engagement Summit. Presenters include representatives from the Secretary of State’s Office, the Carrie Chapman Catt Center at Iowa State University, Drake University’s Political Science Department, and TurboVote. They will guide students through step-by-step best practices for establishing a voter registration drive

Focus will also be placed on helping students understand Iowa’s new voter ID requirements. Materials and information from the Secretary of State’s Voter Ready Toolkit will be included in the presentations.

"Iowa is one of the most politically active states in the country, and getting Iowa's students involved in the political process is imperative. The partnership between Campus Election Engagement Project, Iowa Campus Compact, and the Iowa Secretary of State's office is unprecedented, and it shows how much this state values student election engagement," said Samantha Bayne, Drake University student and state director for the Campus Election Engagement Project.

"It is important for students to receive the facts about voter registration and what to expect when casting their ballots. The Voter Engagement Summit will help them cut through the clutter and misinformation. They will see that the process remains simple, voter registration has not changed, and that being Voter Ready requires three basic steps: register to vote, bring your ID, and cast your ballot," Secretary Pate said.

Secretary Pate partnered with 38 colleges and universities across the state for the inaugural Iowa College Voter Engagement Drive in 2016. The event helped thousands of college students register to vote and participate in the 2016 general election.

Any student organization interested in participating in this weekend’s College Voter Engagement Summit can register at this link.

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