Electoral Participation

Hands-on campaign work is at the center of Mikva’s Electoral Participation programs.  They include:

Elections in Action

Elections in Action engages youth in campaign work, voter registration and school-wide mock elections.  This year, Mikva Challenge took 50 Elections in Action students to Iowa and 60 students to New Hampshire to experience presidential campaigning first-hand.  Launched each year with a student-run candidate forum, this project transforms students’ attitudes toward the political process and supports their understanding of campaign work and electoral politics. 

Student Judge Project

Through the Student Judge Project, over 1,800 high school juniors and seniors from over 50 schools learn about the voting process by serving as election judges and helping to run an actual polling place on Election Day.  Student judges also encourage their peers to vote through the New Voter Initiative.

Summer Government Leadership Institute

The Summer Government and Leadership Institute gives teens the opportunity to take their civic leadership skills to the next level by interning in the offices of state, local and federal elected officials and creating a Civic Action Project on a challenging current issue.