Actual Vote for Students

If you’re a high school, college, or graduate student looking for a meaningful way to engage with democracy beyond just voting, Actual Vote offers something most civic engagement programs don’t: the chance to generate real, published evidence about whether elections are working. The Actual Vote app is available to anyone 13 and older — so whether you’re a high school junior or a PhD candidate, you can participate.

Why students are a great fit for this

You have time and energy around election season. Campus culture already ramps up around elections — voter registration drives, debate watch parties, canvassing. Actual Vote channels that energy into something that produces lasting, tangible results.

You’re learning about how systems work. Whether you’re studying political science, data science, law, public policy, journalism, or anything else, independently auditing vote reporting connects classroom concepts to real-world practice. This isn’t a simulation — it’s a live audit of actual election data.

You can organize. Student organizations, campus chapters, clubs, dorm floors, study groups — you already have the social infrastructure to coordinate a group of volunteers to cover multiple polling places on election night. High school civics classes, AP Government courses, and student government associations can do this too.

It looks great on a resume. Participating in a published, non-partisan election audit demonstrates initiative, civic commitment, analytical thinking, and the ability to work with public data. If you help organize it, add leadership and project coordination to that list.

What participating looks like

Before the election:

• Download the free Actual Vote app
• Learn how the system works (it’s not complicated — about 15 minutes of reading)
• Make a plan for which polling places to visit and how to get there
• If you’re organizing a group, divide up locations so you cover more precincts

Election night:

• Visit polling places after they close and video-record the posted poll tapes
• Typical time commitment: 1–3 hours

After the election:

• America Counts analyzes your recordings and publishes the findings
• Your contribution is part of a published audit report — real evidence in the public record

For student organizations

If you run or are part of a student organization focused on politics, policy, civic engagement, or public service, organizing an Actual Vote project is a high-impact activity that works across partisan lines.

Here’s why that matters on a college campus: most politically oriented student groups are aligned with one party or the other. Actual Vote is one of the rare things that a College Democrats chapter, a College Republicans chapter, and a nonpartisan civic engagement group could all participate in without anyone compromising their values — because the system only produces honest evidence about what the vote reporting actually was.

America Counts can support your organization with:

• A training session (virtual or in-person) for your members
• Help researching poll tape access in your area
• Materials you can use for recruitment and promotion
• Priority analysis of recordings from your group

Academic applications

Actual Vote participation and data can support academic work in several fields:

Political science and public policy: The audit methodology, the published data, and the institutional dynamics of election administration are all fair game for research papers, capstone projects, and theses. America Counts’s public archive at av.democracycounts.org contains real election data you can work with.

Data science and statistics: The comparison analysis involves data collection, transcription, reconciliation, and statistical reasoning. If you’re looking for a real-world dataset to practice on, this is one with genuine stakes.

Law: Election law, administrative law, public records practice, and the legal framework around poll tape access are all active areas. Students interested in election law can gain hands-on experience with the legal mechanics of public records access and election certification.

Journalism: Independent election auditing is a story. If you write for a student paper or are building a portfolio, covering an Actual Vote project — or participating in one and writing about the experience — is solid material.

For high school teachers: Actual Vote is a natural fit for civics, AP Government, or social studies classes. Students can participate in a real election audit while learning about how elections work at a level of detail most curricula never reach. Contact us to discuss how to incorporate it.

For professors: If you’d like to incorporate Actual Vote into a course as a service-learning component, capstone project, or case study, contact us. We’re happy to collaborate on curriculum integration.

Common questions from students

“Do I need to be old enough to vote?” No. The Actual Vote app is available to anyone 13 and older, and you don’t need to be a registered voter to use it. Recording poll tapes in public is a First Amendment activity, not a voting activity. That said, if you’re a minor, we strongly recommend going with a parent, teacher, or other trusted adult — especially for election night recording, which happens after dark. This is a great activity for a class, club, or family to do together.

“Is it safe?” Yes. Most recording happens in public areas outside polling places after they close. We have safety guidance and recommend going with at least one other person, which is easy to arrange if you’re organizing with a group.

“What if I’m not in a swing state?” Vote reporting should be audited everywhere, not just in competitive states. Even in a “safe” state, local races can be close, and confirming accuracy in non-competitive areas builds the broader case for routine independent auditing nationwide.

“Can I get course credit for this?” That depends on your institution and professor. We’ve seen students get credit through service-learning programs, independent studies, and capstone projects. Talk to your professor or department — we can provide a letter describing the project if that helps.

Get started

Our Start Here guide has the full walkthrough. If you want to organize a group, email us and we’ll help you plan.