University of Miami: Course project prompts young voters to turn out at the polls

Since the start of the semester, students in Barbara Scheer’s Advanced Graphic Design course in the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences have been making a non-partisan effort to encourage other young voters, aged 18 to 25, to cast a ballot during the 2022 midterm election.

Polls have shown that this year, these voters have significant power in the midterm election, matching—or possibly exceeding—that of the 2018 election. Scheer tasked students to design non-partisan Get Out to Vote posters to raise awareness of voting in the Nov. 8 election.

“This assignment highlights that good design helps make choices clearer. Students in my course follow this outline to create their own individual designs to express this concept,” said Scheer, a lecturer in the Department of Art and Art History.


Inspired by the American Institute of Graphic Arts Design for Democracy­, a campaign started in 1998 with a mission to apply design tools and thinking to increase civic participation, Scheer wanted to find a unique way to encourage her students to advocate for college-aged students and recent graduates to vote.

“Each student created their own design and illustration for their project. In addition to this large poster, they also adapted their designs to table tent cards and Instagram posts to reach their peers on various platforms,” said Scheer.


Rachel Bergeron, a senior studying biochemistry and nutrition, is enrolled in the course and has found a passion for merging art and important topics.

“This project was nice to do because it felt like a constructive way to use our artistic skills,” said Bergeron. “All of our pieces are so different and creative but are amazing as one, because they accomplish the collective goal of encouraging people to use their voices and vote.”