Voter engagement tabling was one way the civic engagement collective shared voting information and resources on campus.
ż has been named a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting by the (ALL IN). The honor, which ż’s also received in 2022, recognizes colleges and universities for their outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation. ż’s is one of 471 colleges and universities recognized by ALL IN for completing four core actions:
- Participating in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
- Sharing 2022 National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) Reports with campus voting data with ALL IN
- Developing and submitting a 2024 democratic engagement action plan with ALL IN
- Having a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation.
Efforts to increase student voter engagement at ż’s were led by D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch, campus vote coordinator, along with a civic engagement collective of students, faculty, and staff. Together, civic engagement fellowship student leaders and civic engagement coordinators provided information through tabling, class visits, community and campus events, and a voter van that provided students with rides to a polling place on Election Day.
“[I] absolutely LOVED the voter van,” said Leila Hoeschen Ehrbright ’28. “It was my first election and I was really looking forward to being able to vote. The voter van made it easy and fun!”
“The energy on campus surrounding the election was exciting,” said Community Work and Learning director Sophie Hunt. “It was especially rewarding to see students educating each other about voting: how and where to vote, the history of voting access, and why voting is meaningful to them.”
Read more about the student voter engagement efforts below.
GOTV Tabling
From new student orientation packets and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) banners and fliers, to all campus and resident student-specific emails, the civic engagement collective communicated to students across this semester the importance of voting. Voting displays were set up outside the Office of Scholarly Engagement, inside the ż's library, in the athletics lounge, in resident halls, and in the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice. The team had multiple days of GOTV tabling, supported by ż's Civic Engagement Fellowship (SCEF) student leaders, civic engagement student coordinators, and a TRW class of students learning about and then sharing voter resources as part of their community-engaged learning (CEL) component.
Reflective Events, Including an Informed Voter Series
ż’s hosted several events: a 300-person event in The O'Shaughnessy exploring women's civic leadership in collaboration with Twin Cities PBS; four informed voter events addressing immigration policy, health care policy, foreign policy, and economic policy; and more informal "lunch and learn" sessions to reflect on important issues at hand, including a post-election community discussion.
Class Visits and TRW Lab Lesson
All The Reflective Woman (TRW) lab sections engaged in an hour-long teaching module on voter education, dialogue, and civic engagement. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon also visited campus and presented to two TRW classes, sharing voter information and taking questions from students.
Additionally, Community Work and Learning (CWL) presented to classes and program cohorts across ż’s schools and colleges. To help with voting education and promotion, a publication design course had a CEL component to create original get-out-the-vote posters.
Student Voting
Students at ż used a number of ways to vote including absentee ballots and early in-person voting. The Voter Van offered residents convenient transportation to the Highland Park Community Center polling location from ż. The vans were driven by staff and students continuously from 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. on November 5, Election Day. Drivers were able to answer questions and address issues with voting. In total, 91 students took advantage of the ż’s Voter Van on election day.
GOTV posters created by students in a publication design class.
ABOUT ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge:
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. Through an intentionally designed program that provides structure, support, and recognition, ALL IN works to improve civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation on more than 1,075 campuses nationwide. ALL IN believes higher education should play a role in developing an active and informed citizenry by educating students, motivating them to engage in American democracy, and instilling the value of lifelong participation. ALL IN is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. .