Photo by Riley Sims Ph.D. ’23
Starting September 12, the west entrance of the School of Public Policy will host VOTE (Fearlessly)!, a creative and nonpartisan pop-up designed to help University of Maryland students better understand the voting process. The installation will be in place at the School through September 20 and offers students a hands-on opportunity to register to vote, understand out-of-state voting and engage in discussions around the upcoming 2024 general election.
The structure, shaped like a voting booth, was built by UMD faculty, alums and students from the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, in collaboration with TerpsVote, Arts for All, the College of Arts and Humanities, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and the Maryland Democracy Initiative. Created as part of the Design and Democracy course, the goal of the installation is to spark civic engagement by making voting less intimidating for new voters.
School of Public Policy Associate Clinical Professor Paul Brown played a role in shaping the initiative. His work with the Big 10 Collaboration: Democracy in the 21st Century helped lead to the idea for the design course that inspired the project.
“We wanted to create a public space that sparks enough curiosity to draw them in, and that through student volunteers and activities, creates some empowerment and community,” explained Architecture Professor Ronit Eisenbach, who co-led the project.
Brown collaborated with Eisenbach and Hannah Smotrich, who co-taught the design course as a faculty-in-residence from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Smotrich's expertise in design and policy integration helped deepen the project’s impact, bringing a unique perspective to the partnership.
Research shows that uncommitted young voters often lack accessible information on election processes. VOTE (Fearlessly)! bridges this gap by inviting students into an open conversation, making it easy to ask questions and feel confident in the voting process.
This initiative reflects UMD’s commitment to fostering informed citizens who feel empowered to make their voices heard in democracy.
