MEDIA RELEASE: Secretary Pate conducting student Voter Engagement Summit on April 13

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, Iowa Campus Compact and the Campus Election Engagement Project are joining forces for a student Voter Engagement Summit on Saturday, April 13. This will mark the third Voter Engagement Summit conducted by Secretary Pate’s Office since 2016, and the first to incorporate high school students into the event.

The Voter Engagement Summit will help students understand best practices for organizing a voter registration drive and prepare them to participate in Iowa’s elections.

“I want every eligible Iowan to be a voter and it’s crucial that we assist young people in understanding the process,” Secretary Pate said. “The youth voter participation rate is increasing but still lags far behind other age groups. This summit hopefully will help shrink that gap.”

Every college, university and high school in Iowa is invited to participate in the summit. Moderators will include Rachel Paine Caufield, director of the Iowa Caucus Project, Amy Ludwig, national director of the Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) and Ryan Drysdale from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

“This past fall, we had extremely high turnout here in Iowa, and this summit will give participants the tools to institutionalize and expand their efforts. The partnership between the Secretary of State's Office, Iowa Campus Compact and Campus Election Engagement Project allows schools to receive the resources they need to be the most effective they can be for the next election cycle,” said Samantha Bayne, state director of CEEP.

The Voter Engagement Summit will take place at the Iowa State Capitol, Room 116, on Saturday, April 13. It runs from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Students, teachers and advisors who wish to participate should RSVP to Sherill.Whisenand@sos.iowa.gov.

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