The great American philosopher, John Dewey, grew up in Vermont in the late 19th century and attended the University of Vermont before making his mark on American political thought. Mostly, Dewey is remembered for his contributions to the field of education. He believed that education is less about acquiring a fixed body of knowledge and more about developing skills in critical thinking and applying those skills as active citizens. Consequently, the value of education goes well beyond the individual benefits; an educated citizenry supports democratic norms and a more robust civic life. Dewey was a strong proponent of democracy as the best means for meeting the needs of the public. In his book, The Public and Its Problems (1927), Dewey tried to reconcile civic engagement in American democracy with the depersonalizing forces of industrialism and capitalism. While Dewey recognizes the importance of policy experts, he also argues that popular participation in government is necessary to uncover the problems we collectively face because experts will be too removed from the public to clearly see the problems people confront. “The man who wears the shoe knows best that it pinches and where it pinches, even if the expert shoemaker is the best judge of how the trouble is to be remedied” (p. 207). So it is at Castleton that we take up the mantle that fellow Vermonter Dewey passed along to educate our students to be active and effective citizens in our democratic government. While some students opt to pursue a Certificate in Civic Engagement as they build the skills of citizenship, self-advocacy, and leadership, all students participate in the liberal arts foundation of a Castleton education through our General Education Program. One of the explicit goals of general education at Castleton University is that the program, “promotes students to be engaged as active citizens on campus and beyond.” Perhaps the most basic act of citizenship is participation in the electoral process by voting.