Peer Mentors
an energetic cohort of UMICH Votes Fellows to offer friendly guidance
Recognizing the power of peer interactions, we recruited 20 students from across campus to act as peer mentors in our 2022 Voting Hubs. Their upbeat energy was central to welcoming student voters and creating a positive social experience.
“you’re almost talking to friends rather than higher ups or older figures... (which) really helped make the conversation more open and less scary”
Student Voter
These peers made it easy to ask questions and normalized the idea that navigating registration and voting is a learning process.
UMICH Votes Fellows provided non-partisan resources to support students whether they chose to vote in Ann Arbor or in their home district.
UMICH Votes Fellows and a button-making cart near the ballot dropbox gave voters a chance to chat and celebrate their accomplishment in an upbeat, creative way.
The button cart became a special social space — a fun gathering spot that fostered a sense of community, and yielded a wearable piece of positive voter identity.
about recruitment, training, and assessment of the UMICH Votes Fellows cohort
(see pages 5 & 6)
2022 UMICH Votes Fellows
Mlaika Azhar, Kylie Barcino, Brooklyn Blevins, Asaf Martinez Cardoza, Daniel Chuang, Emma Cordova, Serena Corley, Maurielle Courtois, Leah Crosby, Lucy Hafitz, Aoife Harte, Hannah Jatsch, Mark Kava, Lillian Kleinknecht, Kat Sale, Isabelle Schindler, Katherine Song, Sofia Tosi, Hasan Zai
The Creative Campus Voting Project is a non-partisan initiative based at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design, led by co-founders Associate Professors Stephanie Rowden and Hannah Smotrich. They work in close coordination with the Ann Arbor City Clerk and their UMICH Votes Coalition partners: Turn Up Turnout, U-M Democracy & Debate, Ginsberg Center, U-M Office of Government Relations, University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA), and the Duderstadt Gallery.
The 2022 Fellows were generously supported by U-M Democracy and Debate Initiative and U-M Stamps School of Art & Design. Training and implementation support from Turn Up Turnout and Ginsberg Center.
Photos by Eric Bronson (Michigan Photography), Mark Gjukich, Andy Kirshner, and Stephanie Rowden