The University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges all provide the option to fill out a voter registration form to students when they enroll/register online for classes.
Examples of Best Practices
Student leaders at the University of Arizona provided voter registration forms to all 6000 incoming residence hall dwellers in 2004.
Michigan State University has a website dedicated to voting issues which includes information about voter registration, absentee ballot requests, deadlines and dates, and links to forms: http://www.youvote.msu.edu/.
The University of Oregon allows students to access residence halls at pre-agreed times to conduct voter registration activities.
Temple University has links to the National Voter Registration Form and the Pennsylvania Voter Registration form on its Student Forms webpage.
The University of Florida has links available to both the Florida form and the national form on its Integrated Student Information System (ISIS) website. This means students will see links to voter registration forms every time they login to their student homepage.
- Miami Dade College:
- hosts regular candidate forums and debates to engage students and the community
- issues student ID cards that contain the student's photo and signature; under Florida law, this qualifies as voter ID.
- has voter registration forms available in the student life office on each of its eight campuses, and in some additional offices as well
- student government officers visit classrooms to talk about voting
- student government holds an early voting rally each year, and the college president and many of the faculty and staff vote early alongside students as part of the event
- The University of Akron:
- requested and obtained a polling place on campus
- helps students meet Ohio's ID requirement by providing those living in residence halls with a letter that they can take to the polls
- sponsors voter registration tables, touts information in its weekly email newsletter to students and via posters throughout campus
- The University of Connecticut:
- residential life informs students of their street address
- students have photo identification cards
- the administration sends emails to all students before registration deadlines reminding them to register and vote and how and when to do so
- the UConn PIRG is engaged in the PIRG "New Voters Project" which aims to get students registered, educate them about issues, and help them vote
- at the beginning of every year administration holds an "Involvement Fair" with over 4000 students attending. There is a voter registration table at the event
- the campus radio station airs public service announcements with directions on how to register and vote
- the campus newspaper has an article before elections about how to register and vote
- the student government widely distributes "State of Connecticut Mail in Voter Registration" forms
- the campus has a large bulletin board in the student union food court with instructions on how to register, and later with information on the candidates and how to vote. This information is copied and available for Resident Assistants to put up on their floors
- political science organizations regularly invite candidates to campus to speak
- the student government provides transportation for students to voting stations
- the administration allows door-to-door canvassing for voter registration in residence halls
- the administration allows canvassing for campaigns and candidates in the student union
Oberlin College issued $0.00 utility bills to students who lived in dorms, as this was sufficient evidence to fulfill Ohio identification requirements for first time voters on Election Day.
University of North Carolina - Charlotte worked with Mecklenberg county officials to confirm that the University could provide a list of student names and their student ID numbers to local poll workers so that students could vote using only their student ID cards.
Oberlin College holds two voter registration weeks in election years one before the Ohio primary and one before the general election. These weeks are accompanied by promotion of the week in the campus newsletters.
Elon University ("Engaging Elon") students worked with their administration to bypass paperwork and get access to all school events to set up voter registration stations.
Oberlin College holds two voter registration weeks in election years one before the Ohio primary and one before the general election. These weeks are accompanied by promotion of the week in the campus newsletters.
Clark Atlanta University ("Black Youth Vote! Unity '04 Feel the Power") organized a Friday rally featuring a DJ and an open-mic session to attract students and register them as voters.
The University of California Santa Barbara won the Ultimate College Bowl in 2008 by registering 51.5% of its student population to vote.
Saint Anselm College got the President of the College to donate his parking space for a week. Students who registered to vote through the college program were entered into a lottery to win the right to park in his spot for the week.
The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee held a freshman seminar which focused on the election with a particular emphasis on voting. The seminar involved a service component which connected students with community and political organizations involved in voter turnout efforts.
Cleveland State University has been running a successful poll worker program in conjunction with the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections since 2006.
Arizona State University lobbied election officials for and got a polling place on their campus. All students who are registered to vote in Maricopa County can now conveniently vote on campus. In 2010 the Student Government has worked hard to educate students about the importance of voting on a particular ballot proposition. Early voting for the special election has already shown a huge increase in turnout compared with the March primary city council elections.
Western Washington University provides a link to the state online voter registration system on the student records homepage, while its student government sets aside money from the Services and Activities Fee to fund voter education and registration activities.
Central Michigan University produced a commercial about the election featuring student-athletes that they played on the Turbatron at a football game.
Columbus State University hosted the MTV Real World election tour and a political fair demonstrating to students how to vote using real voting booths and machines.
Denison University provided transportation to early voting sites, placed election door hangers around the academic quad and in bathrooms, and installed at the campus commons 15 large "Vote!" posters designed by a student art class.
Eastern Michigan University students wore orange arm bands listing issues they cared about to raise election awareness. Student canvassers approached other students in the main student centers and went into nearly 100 classes to raise awareness about the election reached over 9,600 students.
Indiana State University established satellite voting centers on campus.
John Carroll University in Ohio sponsored a lecture series, debate watch parties, voting site shuttles, and its own election website.
Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island held a competition to see which residence hall could register the most voters.
North Carolina A&T organized a "Aggies Get Out to Vote" rally with 12,000 students that included live music, food, and voter registration tables.
University of Colorado, Boulder put up posters and yard signs publicizing early voting on campus and students organized a march to early voting stations. Sixty percent of students at the university voted early.
The University of Indiana, Bloomington registered 11,000 new voters during several weeks of election activities, including a Battle of the Bands that occurred just prior to the registration deadline.
