Engage Democracy is a university-wide initiative that educates the campus community about the  processes and civic skills needed to participate in a thriving democracy.

Engage Democracy includes voter engagement in all elections, public policy education, civic dialogue, and civic skills workshops.  Explore opportunities for involvement below, and connect with us to further engage the campus community and increase political participation throughout the year.   

Voter Engagement

Voting is a vital form of civic engagement that helps make our communities stronger. Learn about WashU Votes, our student-led volunteer initiative, voter registration, election dates, polling places, ballot issues, and more.

Civic Cafe

Share a meal and learn about civic topics from a community or campus expert. Graduate and undergraduate students of every discipline are invited to attend. 

American Democracy Lab Podcast

Our podcast brings together experts from different fields to talk about an aspect of our American democracy and where different perspectives may converge.

Engage Democracy 2024

An event series focused on election-related programming at Washington University, Engage Democracy 2024 connects students, faculty, and staff with compelling election-related events, increases voter education, and contributes to building a culture of civic & community engagement throughout WashU.

Civic Action Week

CAW is a weeklong initiative to highlight civic engagement opportunities throughout Washington University. All week across campus, different faculty, staff, and community partners host events and opportunities to engage. 

This Civic Moment Podcast

In this podcast, we engage diverse local and regional civic and community leaders on what inspired them to engage this civic moment and better understand what is next for our civic future.

Political Science Courses

The Gephardt Institute and the Department of Political Science collaborate to offer one credit courses that teach students to leverage the political process to promote civic engagement.

Workshop Series

We offer workshops to equip students and campus partners with knowledge and skills to engage in the process of democracy, including “civics 101,” media literacy, and citizen tools for communicating with elected officials.

2022 Midterm Election Media Kit

A set of social media graphics and posts compiled to help our WashU campus partners and community spread the word about voter turnout, voting on campus, Party at the Polls, and more.


‘Engage Democracy’ In The News

First-year student Caleb Saffold votes in the 2020 general election on Nov. 3. Caleb was one of about 2,600 WashU students who registered to vote and more than 1,100 St. Louis County residents who cast their votes in the WashU Field House. (Photo: Whitney Curtis/Washington University)

The Engage Democracy Initiative is generously funded by Bruce Levenson, AB ’71, and Karen Levenson.