Dr. Elizabeth Bennion, Chancellor’s Professor of Political Science and Director of Community Engagement at IU South Bend, participated in a series of seminars and panel discussions this year – including forums hosted by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Georgetown University, and Princeton University – all with an emphasis of the importance of civic education and participation in the political process.
While Dr. Bennion was invited by conference organizers to share her research with participants from across the nation, and globe, one characteristic that all the meetings had in common was that the participants did not wrap up the session with the hubris that they had arrived at all the answers. To the contrary – this work is an ongoing process.
An abiding principle that runs throughout Bennion’s activities is summarized in a line from psychologist-philosopher John Dewey: “Democracy needs to be born anew every generation, and education is its midwife.” The quote serves as the epigraph ofTeaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines, one of three books Bennion has co-edited on the topic.
“The public purpose of higher education, when it began, was to educate citizens for democracy,” Bennion says. “Regional campuses have limited resources, and we could use more public and donor support, but in the meantime we are using the resources we have and working hard each day to prepare students for meaningful careers and to create the next generation of informed and engaged citizens.”
Younger voters often succumb to general apathy, which can lead to them not voting at all. Voters of all ages can fall prey to misinformation that can lead to them voting against their own best interests. Bennion’s extensive activities center around equipping citizens with critical information such as how to contact elected officials, how to distinguish real news from fake news, how to organize a peaceful protest, and how to make a push for legislative change. Key to her work is the inclusion of student leaders and participants from diverse ideological and partisan backgrounds. Also critical is her emphasis on staying civically engaged both during and between election cycles.
“We know that voting is habit-forming, so if we can get students registered and starting to think of themselves as voters who remain actively engaged between elections, they’re much more likely to stay engaged throughout their lives,” Bennion says. “My work at Indiana University has allowed me to integrate teaching, research, and service. I teach about representative democracy, study civic education and engagement in my research, and promote civic and electoral engagement in my work outside of the classroom. My work with student Democracy Fellows allows me to pursue a civic mission through all the threads of my work as a faculty member.”
The Democracy Fellows are participants in the American Democracy Project, a non-partisan initiative of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. Bennion is IU South Bend’s ADP director, and the position allows her to combine classroom teaching and non-partisan grass-roots advocacy. She advocates for all students to make their voices heard through voting and other forms of community action.
“In my civic leadership class, students identify a public policy problem or an opportunity in a particular community and then work through what to do about it,” Bennion says. She has created webinars for ADP and hosted ADP’s Civic Leadership Academy.
Most recently, Bennion partnered with Saint Joseph County Clerk Amy Rolfes to recruit IU South Bend students as poll workers at the spring 2024 primaries via a “Work the Vote” grant from the United States Election Assistance Commission.
On local public television station WNIT, Bennion has hosted the program “Politically Speaking” since 2013. Bennion also serves as the vice president of the League of Women Voters, and she stresses the importance of the League’s website, vote411.org, which provides pertinent information about candidates, platforms, and policies.
“It can be difficult for people to find information about the candidates on their ballots, and that’s why we host candidate forums and debates and do a lot of the behind-the-scenes work on the VOTE411 voter guide,” Bennion says. “Candidates from four different political parties will be invited to share their policy views with voters this fall, as we work to educate students – and the broader community – about their choices on Election Day.”
To explore the VOTE411 guide from League of Women Voters, visitvote411.org.
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