I. Introduction Hook- paint picture of situation Explanation of purpose of students standing out there Clarification of civic artifact being the clipboard itself and the people that accompany the clipboard help meaning Meaning as encouragement to engage in civic activity II. Historical Context Origination of nation as a place of freedom and democracy Importance of engagement in the way the nation works- for turn out to b e significant Reminder of those who fought to give us this very right- wars, politicians, movements, mention Civil Rights as well as amendments III. Meaning Voting a civic right and duty Engagement leads to… Greater say, larger understanding of nation as a whole, place in world Nod to the opposing viewpoint- Also respectful of right to abstain, keeping with freedoms so vital in our culture IV. Connection to Today Importance of this generation having a say The shift of ideas and values in this generation need to be brought to further concideration “How do we expect to see the things that we consider dear and important to us com into play in today’s government if we never do anything about it?” Lack of involvement and feigned indifference are massive problems- “we are all shying away from the hard questions, so why do we assume they are magically going to be answered the way we want them to be?” V. What can we Do? Involvement Action beyond voting? Maybe just plausible to not expect so much so fast VI. Conclusion Reimplementation of meaning & restate purpose What to do with information- take it to heart VOTE

November 6th. This is the date on the lips of every political activist around Penn State that carries a light brown clipboard with the form to register to vote in State College in tow. It is the date that screams important as we hear about civic duty and how to become more involved in our government. It is the date that carries the idea that we are the change we want to see in the world to fruition. It is the day of the general election. It also happens to be in exactly one month. Why is this information crucial to the effectiveness of those relentlessly persistent volunteers who sign people up to vote in Pennsylvania? Well, imagine it like this: someone walks up to you today and asks you who you think is going to take home the gold in the next Summer Olympics archery competition. This question might baffle you at first, and rightly so, but not just because you likely have no idea who is even going to be competing. No, the reason it is likely to confuse you is because the next Summer Olympics are two years away! It does not make practical sense to talk about an event that far in the future seeing as there are more pressing issues now, such as the Winter Olympics or even the outcome of the Big Ten this year. These issues are much more current, and therefore the kairos is properly implemented and helps bring an idea across. People are far more interested in issues that have proper kairos, that are at the right moment, than things that have no current relevance to them. The implementation of kairos with regards to the volunteers getting people to vote is extremely important because of the relevance. People are interested in getting things done in the now, so giving them that opportunity is interesting to them and allows them to have importance now.

Along with being encouraged to vote by people and clipboards standing vigilantly at attention at every corner in State College, we are reminded of our civic duty to participate in the decisions that create our country. Voting is not just a right that we have as citizens of America, nor is it simply a privilege we all deserve. It is one that has been fought for many times over. With this fight of our say, for our choice is ever going on, and to ignore it or disregard it is disrespectful to those whose lives have been sacrificed to defend it. Participation in our governmental decisions is the way many citizens are able to express their gratitude for the opportunity to share what they have to say, but regardless of whether or not the choice is made to participate, it is widely known about that option. People generally are at least aware of their rights to vote and to be a part of the choices that shape the rest of our lives in America. With that being said, another piece of this voting sign-up is choice itself. People know that even though it is civically right to vote and give their opinion, they are free to make the choice on their own. This is the other generalization that comes with this artifact- that people have a choice imbedded within their own civic duty and can choose how best to act upon it, even if that way is some other way than traditional.