UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When Penn State students walk near the tent on Pattee Mall on Oct. 6, smell fresh popcorn and hear the prize wheel spinning, they may think they’ve discovered a University Park campus carnival. Equal parts fun fair and learning opportunity, Penn State Votes’ Ballot Buddy Block Party, envisioned by graphic design students Kaitlyn Crenshaw, Bianca Eckhardt, Lillian North and Karalina Ptakowski, emphasizes games and prizes mixed with nonpartisan civic education.
The Ballot Buddy Block Party is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, on Pattee Mall, with a rain date of Thursday, Oct. 8. The event grew from a collaboration between Penn State Votes and the University Libraries’ Evanisko Project, a donor-sponsored, art- and design-driven partnership with faculty and students in the Department of Graphic Design, part of the Stuckeman School in the College of Arts and Architecture.
Penn State Votes and its Ballot Buddies program aim to raise students’ awareness of and interest in voting and civic engagement, including many eligible first-time voters. Evanisko Project teams consulted with their spring 2026 client and recommended fun fall concepts for students new to or not engaged with the U.S. election process. One team proposed a block party theme featuring bright colors, cheerful mascot characters and carnival-style games. The design intentionally avoids red and blue political color associations while promoting voting as a simple way for students to make an impact.
“Penn State Votes embraced the idea to connect excitement and joy with Americans’ opportunity and responsibility to exercise their voting rights and make their voices heard through the ballot box,” said Lisa Kerchinski, assistant director for Service and Leadership in Penn State’s Office of Student and Leadership Involvement, a unit in the division of Student Affairs. “They particularly liked the team’s message of the ‘low effort, high impact’ actions of registering and voting. And as the design students’ concept suggests, voting can be fun, so why not think of it as a ‘party at the polls’?”
Students will receive a passport at the Ballot Buddy Block Party hospitality table to collect stamps by visiting each event partner’s information table. Partner organizations include Penn State Votes and Ballot Buddies, the Department of Graphic Design, Lion Caucus, the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, the School of Public Policy’s Next-Generation Leadership Academy, University Park Allocation Committee, University Park Undergraduate Association, and the University Libraries. Students who complete their passports will receive giveaways and prizes.
“We’re pleased that our partners include student organizations that also function through representative governance,” Kerchinski said. “Voting on Election Day affects federal, state and local decisions that impact the lives of Penn State students. The student election process also reflects how student governance impacts life on campus.”
The last day for eligible U.S. voters to register for the Tuesday, Nov. 3, election is Monday, Oct. 19. The last day for registered voters to apply for a mail-in or absentee ballot is Tuesday, Oct. 27. For more voting information and resources, visit the Penn State Votes website.
One of Pennsylvania libraries’ PA Forward statewide priorities includes increasing civic and social literacy, and University Libraries civic education resources include a Voting and Elections Library Guide. In addition, the University Libraries Informed Consumer series is hosting a virtual Voter Workshop at noon on Monday, Oct. 12, to provide information to voters new to the election process.
Examples of student graphic design concepts created for the Ballot Buddy Block Party and past years’ clients are available on the Evanisko Project website.