High school student Max walks into the room to meet with school guidance counselor, Mr. Phillips. Friendly but frazzled, Max rattles off a list of projects and life to-dos—including he’s not even sure how to vote.

“Look, I know you’ve got a ton on your plate,” says Mr. Phillips reassuringly, clearing off his desk with a single sweep of the arm as multiple items clatter to the ground. “But with the help of the League of Women Voters”—he produces a pamphlet out of nowhere—“voting registration is one less thing to worry about.”

This exchange did not occur in your local high school, but instead was a scene filmed in an empty classroom in Grainger Hall at the Wisconsin School of Business. The short video was one of many created by WSB student teams in Assistant Professor of Marketing and Jeffrey J. Diermeier Faculty Fellow Aziza Jones’ Brand Strategy and Management class in partnership with the Milwaukee County chapter of the League of Women Voters (LWVMC).

The project first started in 2022 when Leigh Ann Tidey, team leader with LWV’s High School Voter Education and Registration Project, reached out to Jones for college-level students interested in motivating high school students to vote. Tidey oversees the high school student voting outreach for LWV and works in conjunction with all the high schools in the Milwaukee public school system.

While all states in the U.S. allow citizens to vote at 18 years of age, many young people face barriers to voting, including a lack of understanding of the electoral process and how to register. LWV offers creative solutions to encourage high school students to register to vote in a manner that reflects the LWV’s nonpartisan platform.

Tuesday Jan 21 | 12 noon

With Guest Michelle Bryant, Host of “Say Something Real” radio show

Michelle Bryant hosts two political talk and current affairs shows with WNOV 860 AM. Michelle is a former Chief of Staff with the Wisconsin State Legislature. A former Budget and Policy Director, Bryant staffed a member of the state’s powerful Joint Committee on Finance. Additionally, Michelle is the former Executive Director of African World Festival, Inc. Michelle will be joining us to share her life and professional experiences in Milwaukee. She is a trusted voice in the community, and she consistently educates and delivers pertinent politics and current affairs information to the African American community, in particular.