On Monday, November 8, 2021, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge hosted its third biennial awards ceremony to recognize select higher education institutions, educators, and students for their extraordinary work in student voter engagement during the 2020 presidential election. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and most students learning virtually, the honorees ensured students across the country could cast their ballots.
The 2020 presidential election engaged the largest and most diverse group of college students in U.S. history. Moore College of Art and Design received the 2021 Platinum Seal. More than 840 institutions enrolling close to nine million students participate in the ALL IN Challenge.
“Our Students Affairs department worked diligently during the election cycle to prepare our students to become informed citizens who participate in the democratic process. We hosted a National Voter Registration Day, implemented a voter question hotline led by an experienced graduate student of Moore and hosted multiple “Walk to the Polls” led by our student leaders on Election Day. Through our efforts, we increased student voter engagement from 59.6% in 2016 to 83.4% in 2020. Our student population has always been a community of leaders in the cultural and creative sectors and that is why our voter engagement is significantly higher than most of our peers. I am immensely proud of our student body here at Moore,” said Dr. Joshua Wilkin, Dean of Students
Moore Student Government Association members Alex Brewster ’22 (left) and Devyn Jackson ’22 provided registration forms and information about absentee ballots on the ninth annual National Voter Registration Day in 2020.
"We helped people learn how to register to vote, and helped some more figure out if they were registered. All in all, it was great that so many students on campus were already registered. It shows how important voting is, and that our generation is on top of it," Student Leader, Devyn Jackson, member of the Student Government Association, said of the event. Read more about Moore’s National Voter Registration Day 2020 efforts.
The 2020 election cycle saw unprecedented voter registration and turnout among college students according to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), a research study of the Institute for Democracy in Higher Education (IDHE) at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. IDHE reported that 66 percent of college students voted in the 2020 election, a 14 point increase from 2016. Data provided by IDHE shows Moore’s voting rate increased by 23.8 to 83.4% in 2020. (Compared to 59.6% in 2016).
“The rise in voter participation and engagement for college students in last year’s presidential election amidst a global pandemic was tremendous and will undoubtedly be tied to the tireless efforts of the dedicated students, faculty, administrators, and partner organizations that are part of the ALL IN Challenge network,” said Jen Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “The hard work of these trailblazing honorees will help support many of the country’s future leaders in fulfilling the equitable, engaged vision of democracy to which we aspire.”
About the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) is a national, nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization. ALL IN strives for a more inclusive democracy—one in which all voices are heard. We believe that higher education plays a role in graduating students into voters and in closing electoral participation gaps that persist by race and age. Through an intentionally designed program—which provides structure, support, and recognition—ALL IN strengthens college and university efforts to improve civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation. Ensuring that students are registered to vote and participate in all elections is a key component of our work.
