a wall with pictures on it

Story Cart: Trust & the Vote

With an historic U.S. presidential election on the horizon, UWM’s Center for 21st Century Studies, in the summer of 2024, interviewed over 60 people in Milwaukee County about their relative trust or distrust in the U.S. voting system. Story facilitators connected with a wide range of communities through the Center’s mobile Story Cart to understand how people across diverse backgrounds experienced civic engagement. Story Cart: Trust and the Vote features select interviews, images, and other memoranda documenting these exchanges that reflect Milwaukee County’s collective hopes, doubts, and ideas for transforming democracy. 

Story Cart Trust & the Vote logo

The collected stories in this exhibition were made possible through community collaborations with Milwaukee Public Libraries, Milwaukee Turners, the League of Women Voters, UWM’s Children’s Learning Center, DoSomething, and UWM’s Peck School of the Arts design instructors and students.  Special thanks to the 2024 Story Cart Fellows and C21’s 2024-2025 Graduate Fellows, who conducted, recorded, and edited the interviews. Story Cart: Trust and the Vote was also made possible by a grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

STORY CART: TRUST & Storypart THE VOTE C21 From the Center for 21st Century Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Between April 2 and October 1, 2024, Story Cart fellows conducted 24 site visits across 16 unique locations, engaging 15 campus and community partners. 95 interviews were conducted in total. SITE LOCATIONS Cactus Club Peck School of the Arts, UWM Center for 21st Century Studies, UWM PrideFest Milwaukee Children's Learning Center, UWM Rooted & Rising Block Party Despensa De La Paz Student Union, UWM Ernest Spaights Plaza, UWM Turner Hall Jackson Park Farmers Market Urban Ecology Center Riverside Milwaukee Central Library UWM at Waukesha Outpost Foods VIA CDC's Ice Cream Social, Rogers Park Washington Park Media Center SITE VISITS
graphical user interface, website
graphical user interface
With collaboration from Peck School of the Art's design instructors and students, as well as UWM's Children's Learning Center, C21 integrated issues of civic engagement into the classroom to address voting as a lifelong form of civic practice and self-expression. Young children from the learning center explored the process of voting, while university students and instructors illustrated that process from the children's point of view. At the Story Cart, adults were asked to visualize a group of children, then teach Step One: Register to Vote 2 Step Two: Vote VOTED them how to vote. If those adult interview 1 Collect valid forms of identification and Plan how you'd like to vote and return subjects explained the voting process proof of current residency to register to vote. You will need a valid photo id. Many your ballot. Research what will be on your ballot and which choices best reflect effectively, they were rewarded with a different documents can count as your proof of residency for at least 28 days you. You can see what is on your ballot at myvote.wi.gov. You have three options back-to-back with no intention to move. sticker emblazoned with the words "I Taught If you are already registered, check your available to you for voting: name and address are up to date. This can In-Person Absentee Early Voting: Go to a Kid to Vote." If their explanations were be done online at myvote.wi.gov. You can also check at your municipal clerk's office any early voting site. ineffective or incomplete, they were given a or at your polling place on election day. In-Person at your polling place on Election Day: Locate your polling place and plan how you will get there before guide to voting in Wisconsin, illustrated and the polls close at 8pm. You can find your polling place on myvote.wi.gov. authored by kids at UWM's Children's Absentee Voting by Mail: Request an Learning Center. absentee ballot using myvote.wi.gov NOTE: You must allow time for the ballot to be sent to you and plan how to return it in time. Check with your clerk or TEACH A KID TO VOTE municipal website. --- ---

Listen to the stories

Teach a Kid to Vote

Civic Engagement Issue Brief

Courtesy MKE Elevate

Civic Engagement Issue Brief 3.6.26Download