Happy 2012! SET is back for the new year - and we wrapped up 2011 with a Voter Registration Training last month with the Student Association of Michigan (SAM).

SET and SAM have been working together since their higher education campaign last year, which culminated in a rally and lobby day with over 300 Michigan students in Lansing. Unfortunately, that campaign wasn't enough to stop a 15% cut to the state's higher education budget. So, one of SAM's goals this year is to get Michigan's elected to officials to start paying more attention to students - by showing that students are paying attention to them, registering to vote, and voting in elections.

Over 40 students from 9 different campuses across Michigan were part of SET's voter registration training. SET staff worked with SAM to develop a plan that would engage Michigan students, faculty, and university administrators in helping to register and mobilize student voters.

The training also included workshops on the most effective tactics to get students registered to vote - like canvassing or "dorm storming", and class announcements.

This January SAM will hit the ground running, making sure that every Michigan student has the chance to get registered to vote!

With the 2012 elections approaching, SET will be running trainings with lots of SGA's on how they can run non-partisan campaigns to register and mobilize students to vote. Contact me at sarah@trainings.org if you're interested in having us run a Voter Registration Training at your campus.