What is the Democratic Engagement Coalition (D.E.C.)?
PittVotes recognizes that we are far from the only people involved in democratic engagement work on Pitt’s campus, and we wanted to bring all of us doing this work together. The Democratic Engagement Coalition was formed to bring together student organizations and official University programs who are doing democratic engagement work like our own. Although every group has its own priorities, we all want to make sure Pitt students have access and voice in politics.
What is democratic engagement work?
We define it as any activity meant to connect individuals to the various processes of the American electoral political system. It often includes efforts relating to voter registration and turnout, but it’s not just that. Education on political topics, advocacy for specific student populations, volunteering to support political processes, and other actions also count as democratic engagement.
What are the purposes of the D.E.C.?
There are five main purposes for D.E.C. based on the work we do and the work we see you all doing in your own organizations and programs.
1 – Coordinating communication and efforts between member organizations and programs.
This could look like keeping a shared calendar of events and coordinating voter registration efforts across campus. We think this is important because better allocation of time, resources and energy allows for more ambitious work to be done.
2 – Increasing access to reliable and relevant information for student voters.
This could look like collaborating on informational events and helping students make easy-to-follow plans to vote.
3 – Increasing voting rates to Pitt students broadly and within specific populations we know are under-represented.
This could look like working together to advocate for Election Day as a University of state holiday and developing plans to reach athletes, STEM majors, and marginalized communities that do not vote as often as other groups. We think this is important because all students should have their voices heard.
4 – Encouraging student engagement in elections and civic life outside of voting.
This could look like developing involvement opportunities for those who don’t or can’t vote and finding a democratic engagement-related site to offer during the Signature Days of Service. We think this is important because our democracy is supposed to represent everyone, but won’t if no one is involved.
5 – Guiding PittVotes’ mission and work.
This could look like creating a steering committee for PittVotes made up of D.E.C. members and sharing financial and resource needs with us. We think this is important because PittVotes can access people, resources, and spaces unavailable to student organizations and other programs, and we want to be responsive to what is needed!
What’s the role of D.E.C. member organizations and programs?
If your program or group joins the D.E.C., you would be expected to:
Communicate!
This will be the number one priority and the reason we’re doing this all to begin with, to communicate with each other. Keep the Coalition up-to-date with your events, initiatives, visions, and needs as they relate to democratic engagement efforts.
Send representatives to meetings.
We have them once a month during the Fall and Spring and they’re used for group updates and creating group priorities around big happenings – like elections!
Keep D.E.C. non-partisan.
You don’t have to be a non-partisan group or program to join, and no one will be asked to stop engaging with political parties or ballot measures in their own work. We just want to make the D.E.C. a space focused on our primary goals, which don’t align with any particular party.
Follow through on promises.
The D.E.C. isn’t a student organization, and any work we want to do together is completely voluntary. Because of that, it will be very important for your program or group to keep up with any commitments you do make.
Get Involved
If you’re interested in your program or group joining the D.E.C., fill out this Google Form or email pittvotes@pitt.edu and a member of the PittVotes team will follow up with you.