WASHINGTON – Today, 258 colleges and universities across 38 states and Washington D.C. were named Voter Friendly Campuses by NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project.
The Voter Friendly Campus program is designed to help institutions address the myriad challenges that prevent college students from participating in the political process and foster a culture of democratic engagement on their campuses, including in years without a national election. This designation recognizes college and university campuses that have committed to voter registration, education, and turnout as part of their institutional mission.
The institutions designated 2023 Voter Friendly Campuses include a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural, and urban campuses that collectively serve over 3.5 million students. 71 of these institutions are joining the program for the first time. Notably, the list of designated institutions includes 49 Minority Serving Institutions and 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as 41 Community Colleges.
In 2022, campuses helped students transition back to in-person activities leading up to the first national election since the height of the pandemic. But the work of Voter Friendly Campuses is just as crucial in 2023, even without a major national election. The institutions on this year’s list are showing dedication to growing young people’s turnout for local, state and national elections, as well as building their infrastructure for helping student turnout in future elections. Our 2023 Voter Friendly Campuses have developed new and creative ways to help increase turnout on their campuses – including incentivizing faculty and students to develop, implement, and track engagement programs that encouraged students to register and vote.
Campuses were evaluated on their ability to complete a three-step process, which included developing a written plan for how the school would engage student voters in 2022, facilitating voter education and engagement efforts on campus, and writing a final analysis of their efforts. The designation is valid through December 2024.
“Higher education continues to play a pivotal role in safeguarding our democracy. The campuses on this year’s designee list are at the forefront of this important work,” said Kevin Kruger, NASPA President. “This accomplishment is due to the hard work of student affairs professionals, students, and faculty partners from across the country, to whom we express our congratulations and gratitude.”
“When college campuses help their students register and vote, they’re helping to instill lifelong habits of civic engagement,” said Mike Burns, the National Director of the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project. “By incorporating democratic engagement into their campus life, these schools are opening the door for students to explore what their political beliefs are, and how they want to engage in the democratic process. These efforts are crucial to our country’s democracy.”
Youth turnout in 2022 was the second highest for any midterm election in the last 30 years. Campuses that participate in the Voter Friendly Campus program and similar engagement programs continue to be a driving force for these tremendous outcomes. Student-specific turnout data will be available later this year from the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education’s National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement.
The following colleges and universities earned the Voter Friendly Campus designation for 2023:
Arkansas Tech University
Arizona State University
Mesa Community College
South Mountain Community College
Northern Arizona University
Eastern Arizona College
Cochise College
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Phoenix College
Harvey Mudd College
University of San Francisco
Saint Mary’s College of California
College of the Canyons
University of California Los Angeles
Chapman University
California College of the Arts
Auraria Tri-Institutional Campus
Community College of Denver
Metropolitan State University of Denver
University of Colorado Denver
Arapahoe Community College
George Washington University
American University
Florida A&M University
Bethune Cookman University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida International University
University of Central Florida
Barry University
Miami Dade College
New College of Florida
Florida State University
Stetson University
Santa Fe College
University of Miami
University of North Florida
Broward College
Ringling College of Art and Design
Eckerd College
University of Florida
St. Petersburg College
University of South Florida
Rollins College
Georgia State University
Fort Valley State University
Clark Atlanta University
Dalton State College
Georgia Gwinnett College
Mercer University
Kennesaw State University
Georgia Southern University
Agnes Scott College
University of West Georgia
Emory University
Morehouse College
Simpson College
Iowa State University
Wilbur Wright College
University of Illinois – Springfield
McKendree University
Illinois State University
Columbia College Chicago
Eastern Illinois University
Northwestern University
Indiana University – Bloomington
Indiana University- Purdue University Indianapolis
Wichita State University
Independence Community College
Fort Hays State University
Centre College
Dillard University
Xavier University of Louisiana
Northeastern University
Lasell University
University of Baltimore
Wor-Wic Community College
Towson University
Frostburg State University
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Johns Hopkins University
Allegany College of Maryland
Morgan State University
Bates College
Michigan State University
Oakland University
Southwestern Michigan College
Central Michigan University
University of Michigan – Flint
Olivet College
Washtenaw Community College
Delta College
Eastern Michigan University
University of Michigan – Dearborn
Northern Michigan University
Macomb Community College
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
Grand Valley State University
Saginaw Valley State University
Henry Ford College
Kalamazoo College
Michigan Technological University
Wayne State University
Grand Rapids Community College
Lake Michigan College
Albion College
Mid Michigan College
Bay de Noc Community College
University of St. Thomas
Central Lakes College
Winona State University
Gustavus Adolphus College
University of Missouri-St. Louis
Saint Louis University
Washington University
Webster University
Mississippi State University
University of Mississippi
Northeast Mississippi Community College
Flathead Valley Community College
University of Montana
Appalachian State University
Durham Technical Community College
Elizabeth City State University
Elon University
Fayetteville State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina State University
UNC Asheville
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
University of North Carolina Greensboro
East Carolina University
High Point University
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
University of Nebraska – Omaha
Montclair State University
Rowan University
Rider University
The College of New Jersey
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Middlesex College
University of Nevada, Reno
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Truckee Meadows Community College
SUNY Westchester Community College
Alfred State College
College of Saint Rose
SUNY Geneseo
New York Institute of Technology
Stony Brook University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Binghamton University
Siena College
SUNY Cortland
Cornell University
SUNY Buffalo State
The Ohio State University
Oberlin College and Conservatory
Cuyahoga Community College
University of Akron
Case Western Reserve University
University of Cincinnati
Miami University – Oxford
Sinclair Community College
Otterbein University
Kent State University
Ohio Northern University
Denison University
John Carroll University
University of Mount Union
Columbus State Community College
Bowling Green State University
Mount St. Joseph University
Ohio University
Cleveland State University
Wilmington College
University of Oklahoma
Pacific University
Allegheny College
Community College of Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Western University – California
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Muhlenberg College
Chatham University
La Salle University
University of Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon University
Marywood University
Temple University
Bryn Mawr College
University of Scranton
Swarthmore College
Drexel University
Susquehanna University
Cedar Crest College
Dickinson College
Pennsylvania Western University – Clarion Campus
Pennsylvania Western University – Edinboro Campus
Montgomery County Community College
Duquesne University
Winthrop University
Clemson University
Tusculum University
Belmont University
East Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University
Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M University – San Antonio
Lone Star College – Montgomery
Tarrant County College District
Houston Community College
Southern Methodist University
Tarleton State University
Texas State University
Texas Woman’s University
Texas A&M University – Central Texas
Rice University
Southwestern University
University of Houston – Clear Lake
The University of Texas at Austin
Trinity University
University of Houston – Downtown
University of Utah
Weber State University
Virginia Tech
Northern Virginia Community College
Norfolk State University
Piedmont Virginia Community College
College of William and Mary
Longwood University
Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Mary Washington
Virginia Wesleyan University
Shenandoah University
George Mason University
James Madison University
Radford University
University of Virginia
University of Vermont
Whatcom Community College
Washington State University
Alverno College
Lawrence University
Western Technical College
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Marquette University
Carroll University
Madison Area Technical College
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
Carthage College
Gateway Technical College
Cardinal Stritch University
University of Wisconsin-Superior
St. Norbert College
University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin- Madison
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Marshall University
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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.
