Resources for Non-Voters
You don't have to be eligible to vote to participate in civic life. Whether you are an international student, permanent resident, too young to vote, or otherwise ineligible to vote, there are many ways to learn, connect, contribute, and take action in your community.
Civic Participation Is Bigger Than Voting
Voting is one way people participate in democracy, but it is not the only way. Communities also depend on people who volunteer, organize, listen to their neighbors, share knowledge, participate in dialogue, advocate for issues, support community organizations, and help others access information and resources.
Your experiences, relationships, skills, and perspectives can contribute to your community whether or not you can cast a ballot.
Ways to Get Involved
Learn About Issues
Explore issues affecting your campus, neighborhood, city, state, and communities. Seek out reliable information and compare perspectives before forming your own views.
The UW Libraries provides nonpartisan resources for researching elections, news, candidates, issues, and voting.
Volunteer in Your Community
Volunteer with organizations working on issues you care about. Community organizations, nonprofits, schools, mutual aid groups, and neighborhood organizations offer many opportunities to contribute your time and skills.
Community-engaged learning can also connect UW students with organizations and community partners in the Seattle area.
Practice Civic Dialogue
Civic participation includes listening to people whose experiences and perspectives may differ from your own. Practice asking questions, listening with curiosity, and finding areas of shared concern.
Look for opportunities on campus to participate in facilitated conversations and dialogue across differences.
Organize With Others
Find people who share an interest in an issue or community need. Student organizations provide opportunities to build relationships, collaborate, and work toward shared goals.
Advocate for Issues
Learn how decisions are made and identify appropriate ways to share your perspective. This might include attending community meetings, submitting public comments, or supporting organizations working on an issue.
Use Your Skills
Civic contribution can take many forms. Create art, share information, translate materials, conduct research, build a website, tell a story, teach others, or use your professional skills to support a community organization.
The Civic Health Scorecard can help you discover and track opportunities to put your skills into action.
Tips for Meaningful Civic Participation
Start With Curiosity
Ask questions about an issue before deciding what you think. Learn from people with different experiences and look for information from multiple credible sources.
Build Relationships
Civic engagement is often about relationships. Get to know your neighbors, classmates, community organizations, and people who are directly affected by the issues you care about.
Start Small
You don't need to solve an entire problem to contribute. Attend a meeting, volunteer for an hour, have a conversation, or help someone find reliable information.
Can't Vote Yet?
If you are not currently eligible to vote but expect to become eligible in the future, you can use this time to learn about the voting process, follow issues that matter to you, and develop civic habits that can continue throughout your life.
Your Voice Still Matters
Civic life is built by people participating in many different ways. Whether you are learning, volunteering, organizing, creating, advocating, or building relationships, there is a place for you in your community.