Republican attorneys general blast Federal Work-Study guidance on election-related jobs

Higher Ed Dive

Natalie Schwartz

April 4, 2024

Dive Brief: 

• Sixteen Republican attorneys general urged the U.S. Department of Education in a letter this week to reconsider recent guidance allowing college students to get paid for nonpartisan voter registration efforts under the Federal Work-Study program.

• The Education Department issued guidance in late February saying that Federal Work-Study funding could support students working for public agencies on election-related activities if they are “not associated with a particular interest or group.” The department said eligible duties include get-out-the-vote drives, voter registration, assisting voters at polling places or on voter hotlines, or serving as poll workers.

• The attorneys general, however, argued that even voter registration activities that seem nonpartisan can “serve overtly political functions” by focusing on localities where people are more likely to favor a particular candidate.

Dive Insight: 

The Federal Work-Study program provides funding for part-time employment to college students who need additional aid to cover the cost of their education. The program generally covers up to 75% of students’ wages, while their employers pay the rest.

The Federal-Work Study program provided roughly $1.2 billion in student aid during the 2023 fiscal year. Around 600,000 students benefit annually, according to a 2021 report from the Community College Research Center.

In February, Vice President Kamala Harris pointed to the Education Department’s new guidance as part of the Biden administration’s larger effort to safeguard voting rights. “We have been doing work to promote voter participation for students,” Harris said in prepared remarks for a White House meeting with voting rights leaders.

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