NASPA and Campus Vote Project designate 235 colleges and universities as ‘Voter Friendly Campuses’

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project have granted the ‘Voter Friendly Campus’ designation to 235 colleges and universities across 37 states and the District of Columbia. The program requires college and university campuses to engage their campus communities and promote voter registration and voting as part of their institutional mission. The goal of the Voter Friendly Campus designation program is to bolster efforts that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process and develop a culture of democratic engagement on campus.

The institutions designated Voter Friendly Campuses represent a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural, and urban campuses. Notably, the list of designated institutions includes many Minority Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The program is ultimately serving over 3.5 million students.

Despite the enormous hurdles caused by a global pandemic, campus representatives participated in trainings to develop, implement and report results for engagement programs that encouraged their students to register and vote. Campus administrators, faculty, and students rose to the challenge of a drastically changed engagement landscape with remote and hybrid learning environments and rapidly changing election laws, to quickly adapt efforts to support their students through a very confusing election cycle.

Ultimately campuses were evaluated on their ability to complete a three-step process. These included writing a campus plan about how they would engage student voters in 2020, facilitating voter education and engagement efforts on their campus, and writing a final analysis on their efforts. The designation is valid through December 2022.

“This year brought incredible challenges to the many professionals on campuses who are dedicated to encouraging and increasing student civic engagement,” said NASPA President Kevin Kruger. “We are thrilled that in spite of these challenges, a record number of campuses are being honored this year with the Voter Friendly Campus designation. The completion of the Voter Friendly Campus designation process speaks to the unwavering commitment of campus administrators who ensure students are educated about, have access to, and ultimately are empowered to have their voices heard in the democratic process.”

Motivating students to register and vote establishes civic habits that last well beyond the collegiate experience. Incorporating democratic engagement into campus life creates structure and stability for students as they explore what their political beliefs are, and how they would like to engage in the democratic process. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement 52 percent-55 percent of voting-eligible young people, ages 18-29, cast a ballot in the 2020 presidential election. Student-specific voter turnout data will be available later this year via the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement produced by the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education. Campuses that participated in Voter Friendly Campus, and similar engagement programs are undoubtedly a large factor in such historic turnout in the face of unprecedented challenges.

“We saw the highest turnout ever for an election in this country in 2020, in spite of unprecedented obstacles from the global pandemic, a mix of remote and hybrid learning across campuses, along with the most election law changes across the country in a six month period in my lifetime, all at a time of extreme political polarization and social unrest,” said Campus Vote Project National Director Mike Burns. “Through the Voter Friendly Campus program we know that hundreds of colleges and universities were crucial in making sure that millions of student voters had the nonpartisan information and support they need to navigate these changes and successfully have their voices heard up and down the ballot.”

The following colleges and universities earned the Voter Friendly Campus designation for 2021-2022:

The University of Alabama in Huntsville

Arkansas Tech University

Arizona State University

Mesa Community College

South Mountain Community College

California College of the Arts

Chapman University

College of the Canyons

Los Angeles Pierce College

Mount Saint Mary's University LA

University of San Francisco

Whittier College

Arapahoe Community College

Auraria - Tri Institution

George Washington University

Barry University

Edward Waters College

Florida Atlantic University

Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida International University

Florida State University

Miami Dade College

New College of Florida

Rollins College

Sante Fe College

Seminole State College of Florida

Stetson University

University of Central Florida

University of Miami

University of South Florida

Agnes Scott College

Clark Atlanta University

Dalton State College

Emory University

Fort Valley State University

Georgia State University

Kennesaw State University

West Georgia

Iowa State University

DePaul University

Eastern Illinois University

Illinois State University

McKendree University

Northwestern University

University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Illinois at Springfield

Indiana University - Bloomington

Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Independence Community College

Wichita State University

Bellarmine University

Centre College

Boston College

Boston University

Lasell University

Middlesex Community College

Northeastern University

University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Frederick Community College

Frostburg State University

Johns Hopkins University

Maryland Institute College of Art

Morgan State University

Towson University

University of Baltimore

University of Maryland - Baltimore County

University of Maryland - Eastern Shore

Wor-Wic Community College

Bates College

The University of Maine

Central Michigan University

Delta College

Grand Valley State University

Henry Ford College

Lake Michigan College

Lansing Community College

Macomb Community College

Michigan State University

Mid Michigan College

Northern Michigan University

Oakland University

Saginaw Valley State University

University of Michigan - Dearborn

University of Michigan- Ann Arbor

Washtenaw Community College

Wayne State University

Central Lakes College

Gustavus Adolphus College

Hennepin Technical College

Winona State University

Missouri Western State University

University of Missouri - St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis

Webster University

Saint Louis University

Mississippi State University

Northeast Mississippi Community College

University of Mississippi Main Campus

Duke University

Durham Technical Community College

East Carolina University

Elon University

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

North Carolina Central University

Queens University of Charlotte

University of North Carolina Asheville

University of North Carolina Charlotte

University of North Carolina Greensboro