The Power of Three: Infusing Voter Engagement in Lower Level BSW Courses

Abstract

Voting provides an opportunity for citizens of a democracy to exercise their power to effect social change, but for a variety of reasons the populations typically served by social work do not vote at the same rates as more privileged groups. The strategy described here, the Power of Three, is an ethical, effective, and sustainable method for engaging undergraduate students early in their BSW careers in voter outreach. The case study described assigned BSW students the task of engaging members of the community in voting and registering a minimum of three people to vote. Findings indicate that this strategy was effective in increasing students' involvement in various voter engagement activities and increasing students' understanding of the importance of voting to social work practice.