'Spoking' the Youth Vote

When Keagan Suddith ’27 hit the polls in November 2024, she didn’t go it alone. She took her mom. A first-time voter, she knew her pick for the next president; her conviction stopped there. 

“I truly didn’t know what I was doing,” the communication major recalled. “I didn’t know I had to go to a specific polling place or what to bring for ID. And there was so much more on the ballot beside Kamala or Trump.”

Many Terps find themselves in Suddith’s shoes this fall with the midterm elections approaching—but don’t have a parental shepherd nearby. Questions abound: What am I voting on exactly? Where do I go? And when is it?

But for new University of Maryland voters, answers are available, and now on two wheels: ElectionCycle and DemocraCycle, two tricked-out cargo bikes emblazoned in Terrapin red and gold, will ferry TerpsVote volunteers all over campus this fall to ensure students are armed with the intel and agency to exercise their civic right on Nov. 3.

As part of the Creative Placemaking’s Design & Democracy initiative, the bikes were created by faculty and students from UMD’s architecture program and studio art department as an extension of VOTE (Fearlessly)!, a partnership with TerpsVote to educate new voters on campus. Inspired by the microbusinesses zipping around bike-friendly cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam, they unfold in mere seconds into eye-grabbing, interactive information tables. Students can learn how to register, how to file a mail-in ballot, where to go on Election Day, even where to find information on midterm candidates. Led by the Creative Placemaking Program, the bikes’ design and construction was supported by a Do Good Campus Fund grant, the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and UMD’s Arts for All initiative.

“For many students, this will literally be the first time they cast a vote,” said Keith Ferguson, coordinator for social action and civic engagement at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. ”We get a lot of students who just assume they can vote anywhere, but that’s not the case. Mail-in ballots are by necessity the primary method for most college students. So our volunteers work really hard to get them the information they need.”

VOTE (Fearlessly)! debuted prior to the 2024 general election as a nonpartisan shared civic space dedicated to educating the Terp community on the basics of registering and voting.The original pop-up tower will return to Tawes Plaza on Sept. 16 as a beacon of democracy through Election Day.

The cargo bicycles were added this season to cover ground that their stationary counterpart could not, and “peddle” up-to-the-minute election information to new and seasoned voters, particularly as proposed changes to mail-in voting are creating confusion nationwide. Voter participation is much lower during the midterms than the presidential election, especially with the youth vote, said Courtney Holder, assistant director for UMD’s Leadership & Community Service-Learning.

For a typical student, understanding the position and roles of the individuals on the ballot (what is a comptroller, anyway?) can feel overwhelming, she said, but they are important to the day-to-day workings of government and students’ everyday life. TerpsVote volunteers can help make those connections, she said, using the VOTE (Fearlessly!) installations.

“It’s a novel way to foster civic placemaking and space wherever you go, even if it's temporary,” she said. “It sparks a curiosity that you just don’t get from a typical folding table.”

With elements reminiscent of a race car (or to some, a hot dog cart), the designers intentionally made it audacious enough to not only stop traffic, but lure students, said architecture Professor and Creative Placemaking Minor Director Ronit Eisenbach, who, along with Assistant Clinical Professor Ken Filler, Studio Art Lecturer Jeff Hampshire and architecture graduate student, Saija Fantauzzi, led the conception, design and fabrication.

“Like a flower to a bumblebee, the bike’s “cool” factor attracts students and communicates key messages, demonstrating  the power of design to support this work,” she said. “The folks at TerpsVote know their stuff and are able to answer questions, and there are so many right now. We want to bring them as much visibility as possible.”

Debuting last week at UMD’s Farmers Market, ElectionCycle drew smiles and selfies; its sister bike, DemocraCycle, will start making the rounds at campus events later this month. As students crowded around the bike, volunteers passed out stickers and answered questions, demonstrating a real need for accurate resources about voting for students.

“In my social media feed, there’s almost nothing about politics,” said Suddith. “I think having it right in front of me on campus when I’m walking around is definitely helpful and would make me more interested.”