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Pennsylvania Campus Voting Challenge

About the Challenge

The Pennsylvania Campus Voting Challenge is a nonpartisan support and recognition program for higher education institutions in Pennsylvania with a commitment to increasing student voter participation and engagement on campuses across the Commonwealth.

There will be three award categories for both 4-year institutions and 2-year institutions, awarded based on student voter participation in the November 2022 election using data from NSLVE. The Department of State will announce awards for highest campus voter turnout, most improved campus voter turnout, and highest student voter registration rate.

The Pennsylvania Department of State is facilitating this voting challenge in collaboration with the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a national nonpartisan nonprofit that provides support, structure, and recognition to help colleges and universities to institutionalize nonpartisan democratic engagement and increase student voting. Awards will be based on campuses' National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) reports generated by the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University in Mass. Participation in the Pennsylvania Challenge will automatically include participation in ALL IN Challenge, a national support and recognition program.

Institutions that opt into the Challenge will be provided guidance and tools to create an action plan for increasing student engagement on their campus. There is no sign-up cost to participate.

If you have questions you can email Ryan Drysdale, director of ALL IN, (ryan@civicnation.org).




Winners:

2020 Pennsylvania Campus Voting Challenge Award Winners
Highest Voter Registration Award, 2-year Institution: Montgomery County Community College
Highest Voter Registration Award, 4-year Institution: Dickinson College
Most Improved Voter Turnout Award, 2-year Institution: Butler County Community College
Most Improved Voter Turnout Award, 4-year Institution: Susquehanna University
Highest Voter Turnout Award, 2-year Institution: Montgomery County Community College
Highest Voter Turnout Award, 4-year Institution: Dickinson College
Best Campus Democratic Engagement Action Plan Award, 2-year Institution: Northampton
Community College & Community College of Philadelphia (tied)
Best Campus Democratic Engagement Action Plan Award, 4-year Institution: Clarion
University of Pennsylvania & University of Pennsylvania (tied)


Actions:

  • Develop a campus democratic engagement action plan.
  • Submit your action plan to ALL IN via email to actionplans@civicnation.org.
    1. ALL IN has three action plan submission opportunities during each two-year election cycle. The 2022 action plan submission opportunities are:
      • November 8, 2022
  • Authorize the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) housed at the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University to receive free campus voting reports every two years.
  • Encourage your campus president or chancellor to sign the Higher Education Presidents' Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation
    1. Since 2020, more than 430 college and university presidents have signed the Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation. By signing on to the Higher Education Presidents' Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation, college and university presidents are making a public statement of their commitment. As leaders, it is important for higher education presidents to express the value of an inclusive and vibrant democracy. 

Resources:

Developing a democratic engagement action plan is a key step of participating in ALL IN and institutionalizing nonpartisan democratic engagement on your campus. Each election cycle, ALL IN provides three action plan submission opportunities including two chances for 

  1. Civic Holidays
    • Civic Holidays are nonpartisan days of action that strengthen and celebrate our country's democracy. They bring together a wide range of organizations - like the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge -  and communities in pursuit of an America where everyone participates and votes. For more information about Civic Holidays visit: https://civicholidays.org/. The 2022 Civic Holidays are:
  1. September 17 - Constitution Day
  2. September 20 - National Voter Registration Day
  3. October 3-7 - National Voter Education Week
  4. October 28 - Vote Early Day
  5. November 7 - Election Hero Day