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NASPA and Campus Vote Project designate 235 colleges and universities as ‘Voter Friendly Campuses’
Updated: Mar 11, 2021
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