🟦 What Comes After the Vote: Why Civic Education Is a 2025 Leadership Imperative

Aklima Khondoker
Apr 1
3 min read

Introduction

The 2024 elections are behind us, but the real work of democracy is far from over. Across the country, communities are still reckoning with voter suppression, legal confusion, and disinformation. Many people cast a ballot last year without fully understanding how our systems work—or how to stay engaged between elections.

This isn’t just a knowledge gap—it’s a leadership challenge. In 2025, civic education must be treated as core infrastructure for justice, power-building, and organizational resilience. Leaders across nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors have a role to play in bridging the distance between access and understanding.

At Atabey Strategies, we believe that civic clarity is leadership clarity—and that informed engagement is essential to the future of inclusive democracy.

The Civic Literacy Gap

Despite rising public discourse around elections and governance, basic civic knowledge remains dangerously low:

Only 66% of Americans can name all three branches of government (Annenberg Public Policy Center, 2023)
Just 39% correctly identify Congress—not the president—as the body that declares war
Youth turnout in the 2024 general election dropped significantly compared to 2020, especially in non-competitive states (CIRCLE, Tufts University, 2024)

Civic confusion is compounded for younger voters, new citizens, people impacted by incarceration, and communities historically marginalized by policy and politics.

Engagement without understanding isn’t sustainable—it’s surface-level.

Why Leaders Should Act Now

Civic education is not a side issue—it’s a leadership imperative.

Nonprofit organizations are trusted messengers in communities and often the first line of defense against misinformation.
Funders have the power to invest in civic infrastructure—not just voter drives, but ongoing education and clarity.
Institutions can either reinforce disempowerment or help build civic agency.

At a time when democracy remains vulnerable, every leader must ask: Are we giving people the tools to stay engaged between elections?

Five Ways to Lead with Civic Education in 2025

Integrate civic literacy into programs. Embed practical knowledge—how government works, how policy is made, and how to influence it—into your organization’s training, advocacy, and outreach work.
Invest in culturally grounded, accessible resources. Translate and simplify key materials. Provide content that’s relevant, visual, and aligned with your community’s lived experience. (Resources: Fair Elections Center, APIAVote, NALEO)
Build partnerships for reach and impact. Collaborate with legal educators, civic tech tools, and democracy labs. At Atabey, we partnered with Emory University’s Imagining Democracy Lab to build civic knowledge into campus engagement and public education.
Train internal leadership and governance teams. Boards and executives need civic fluency too. Build their understanding of voting rights, policy timelines, and systems change into retreats or onboarding.
Normalize civic learning in your workplace culture. Share tools internally. Host teach-ins. Give paid time off for advocacy. Make democracy a shared practice—not just a seasonal talking point.

The Stakes in 2025

In 2024, we witnessed both progress and backlash. Voter suppression efforts remain active. Disinformation hasn’t slowed. And many communities are now trying to interpret what last year’s results mean for their futures.

If we want deeper civic engagement in 2026 and beyond, we must build knowledge and leadership now—not six weeks before the next election.

How Atabey Strategies Can Help

We support nonprofits, institutions, and funders in embedding civic clarity into their work. Whether you're launching a leadership initiative, planning a strategic pivot, or serving frontline communities—we can help you center civic education with cultural fluency and care.

📩 Reach out: info@atabeystrategies.com

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