ALL IN Challenge Honors College Campuses For Excellence In Student Voter Engagement

Jen Domagal-Goldman, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Civic Nation’s ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. 

Overall turnout for college students reached 40.3 percent in the 2018 midterm election, a more than two-fold increase over 2014; this growth was greater than that of the general electorate and can be attributed to renewed efforts on the part of colleges and universities to prepare their students to engage in our democracy. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge believes that this success should be celebrated and recognized.

That is why on Tuesday, November 12, the ALL IN Challenge honored colleges and universities as well as individuals who demonstrated excellence in nonpartisan student voter engagement at a 300-person ceremony in Washington, DC. More than 30 awards were announced, including for the highest voting rates and standout students, faculty, administrators, and partners. CNN journalist Jim Acosta and the Washington Post’s Robert Samuels participated in a panel conversation about the role of the news media in a healthy democracy moderated by Maya Patel, a student at the University of Texas at Austin.  

After reviewing 2018 student voting data submitted by participating campuses, the ALL IN Challenge declared that the New College of Florida, with a voting rate of over 64 percent, took the top honor of the Highest Voting Rate of all participating campuses. The College of Saint Benedict (MN) received the Champion Award for Most Increased Voting Rate with a 35.5 point increase in its voting rate from 2014 to 2018. The ALL IN Challenge also awarded 62 platinum seals to campuses with a voting rate above 50 percent in the midterm election and recognized the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) with a voter registration rate of 95 percent.

The Challenge believes in developing a more inclusive democracy. We envision a country in which the electorate mirrors our country’s makeup and college students are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis, during and between elections, and not just at the polls. The 570 campuses in the Challenge are leading the way, helping us to reach these goals and realize this vision. Together they are cultivating generations of engaged and informed citizens, citizens essential to a healthy and thriving democracy.

Also honored at the ceremony were two college presidents: Valerie Smith of Swarthmore College (PA) and Jon Alger of James Madison University (VA), for their leadership in cultivating cultures of democracy and voter participation on campus and beyond. Faculty members Allison Rank Assistant Professor of Political Science at SUNY Oswego and Edie Goldenberg Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Michigan were recognized with Standout Faculty Awards. Students Ghazi Ghazi from Oakland University (MI) and Kassie Phebillo at the University of Texas at Austin were also recognized. The Challenge recognized the work of Rob Watson, Director of Student Programs at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School with a Standout Administrator Award as well as the work of two key partners—Mike Dean of LeadMN and Clarissa Unger of the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition at Young Invincibles. 

“It meant so much to our campus to receive the award and inspires us to support even more UIC students to participate in the 2020 election,” said Spencer Long, Director of Student Leadership and Civic Engagement at the University of Illinois at Chicago who accepted the Champion Best Action Plan Award on behalf of his institution. “The ALL IN Awards Ceremony was a unique opportunity to connect with and celebrate the accomplishments of other colleagues and institutions from across the country,” he said.

The full list of award recipients, including Best In Class award winners is here; a full list of campuses receiving seals of recognition can be found here.

The ALL IN Challenge congratulates all of our campuses for being #allin4democracy! To learn more about the ALL IN Challenge or how your campus can get involved, visit allinchallenge.org.