Hartford Youth Data Fellows Explore Voting and Civic Engagement Opportunities
2026 Hartford Youth Data Fellows and Hartford Votes representatives Richard Frieder and Giselle Feliciano.
On Thursday, March 12, the Hartford Youth Data Fellows welcomed a team from Hartford Votes-Vota Coalition for an engaging and informative session focused on civic participation in Hartford. The visit brought together 10 current fellows along with 3 alumni who are continuing their work as youth researchers studying access to sports and recreation across the city.
Hartford Votes-Vota Coalition representatives Richard Frieder and Giselle Feliciano introduced fellows to the importance of voting and how local civic systems work. They broke down the process of registering to vote, explained key roles like the Registrars of Voters, and shared practical steps youth can take to make their voices heard. A central message was that youth voice is critical in the civic participation process. In addition to voting, it includes staying informed, volunteering, and helping shape the future of the city.
Jason Pitter introduced the Hartford Youth Civic Collective, a new youth-led initiative of the Hartford Votes-Hartford Votas Coalition, designed to make civic life in Hartford easier to understand and more accessible. The Collective aims to be a digital hub where young people can find information about elections, local government, and opportunities to get involved—all in one place. It is built specifically for youth ages 14–23 and focuses on making civic information clear, engaging, and relevant to their lives.
Fellows were interested in how they could take part in this work and asked about ways to stay involved, contribute ideas, and build leadership skills through the Collective. The conversation reflected a strong interest in connecting data, research, and civic action—something that aligns closely with the goals of the Hartford Youth Data Fellowship.
With support from the Hartford Registrar of Voters, many fellows took the step to register to vote during the meeting. This moment underscored the purpose of the session: not just to share information, but to empower young people to take steps to deepen their civic awareness and engagement.
For More Information
Hartford Youth Data Fellows create community-based data projects through a paid fellowship with the Hartford Data Collaborative, a project of CTData (click here to learn more). Learn about our Sports & Recreation Research Program here. To read more about their work and see the full data projects, click here. To review more Hartford data projects by CTData, click here. You can keep up with us by subscribing to the CTData newsletter and following us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.