Washington, DC– Today, Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education announced that 272 campuses in 39 states and the District of Columbia were designated as “Voter Friendly Campuses.” The initiative recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented nonpartisan practices that encourage their students to register and vote.
The mission of the Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster colleges and universities’ nonpartisan efforts to help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process – every year, not just during years featuring federal elections. Those selected were evaluated based on a written plan for how institutions planned to register, educate, and turnout student voters in 2024, how they facilitated voter engagement efforts on their campuses, followed by a final analysis of their nonpartisan efforts.
“We are pleased to designate such a wide range of institutions as Voter Friendly Campuses in this cycle,” said Amelia Parnell, NASPA President. “NASPA has partnered with the Fair Elections Center on this work for nearly a decade, and some of these campuses have received this important designation every year since the program began. We look forward to continuing to elevate and support the valuable work of the students, administrators, and faculty whose tireless efforts are an essential part of our democracy.”
“Due to ever-mounting barriers, engaging students in our Democracy is not easy work. However, these schools have taken remarkable steps towards institutionalizing voting practices into their operations, to ensure young people on their campuses are able and ready to fulfill their civic responsibility,” said Robert Brandon, President and Founder, Fair Elections Center. “Fair Elections Center, through its Campus Vote Project and partners like NASPA, remains committed to working alongside universities and providing the necessary tools and resources to support civic education through the Voter Friendly Campus program.”
The institutions designated Voter Friendly Campuses represent a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural, and urban campuses, collectively serving over four million students. Notably, the list of designated institutions includes 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as 47 Community Colleges. See all the designees here.
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NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. Our work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories.
Fair Elections Center is a non-partisan organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of our democracy through innovative efforts focused on voting rights and civic engagement. We use advocacy, litigation, organizing, education, and technology to protect and expand the right to vote, understanding the particular impact on disenfranchised, underrepresented, and marginalized communities. Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting and helps campuses institutionalize reforms that empower students with the information they need to register and vote.
