Panel says $250,000 appropriated to pilot college civic-education course

A commission member reported that the General Assembly allocated $250,000 to develop a college-level civic-education course aimed at non–political-science majors.

"We got it through the budget this year in the House and the Senate for $250,000 to create a civic education program designed for non political science majors," the committee member said, describing a three-hour course open to sophomores and above at public four‑year colleges and universities.

The member said the course will combine written coursework with field trips to commissions and electoral boards so students can observe processes such as vote counting. An outline created last year by former Delegate David Ramadan at the Schar School of Policy will be circulated to commission members, the member said.

The commission member said the program will be announced at a press conference planned for September and that the commission hopes to bring students to General Assembly or privileges-and-elections hearings in January 2027 to report their observations.

Commissioners and presenters emphasized that the course is intended to demystify the mechanics of elections and civic processes and to give students practical exposure rather than partisan instruction. Details on curricular partners, instructional materials and final implementation logistics were described as pending and to be shared at a later date.

Next steps: the commission plans a public announcement this fall and to provide members with the program outline for further input before student participation begins in January 2027.