WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mercer University has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge as one of its 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting.
Mercer joins a group of 394 colleges and universities recognized by ALL IN for making intentional efforts to increase student voter participation, including the following four actions:
- Participating in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
- Sharing 2020 NSLVE Reports with campus voting data with ALL IN
- Developing and submitting a 2022 democratic engagement action plan with ALL IN
- Having a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation.
“It is an honor to receive this recognition from ALL IN,” said Lauren Shinholster, associate director of engaged learning at Mercer. “With each election, we witness the value in our efforts to institutionalize voter engagement. I am proud of the strides we have made, and I am encouraged by our students and their commitment to exercising their right to vote.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers higher education institutions to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. Campuses that join the Challenge complete a set of action items, with the support of ALL IN staff, to institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning, political engagement and voter participation on their campus.
“College student voter turnout has increased since 2016, and this increase has been driven by students. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is excited to expand our ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll to recognize these student voting champions across the country,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “These students registered voters, served on their campus voting coalitions, spearheaded voter education efforts, advocated for campus polling locations and organized other voter engagement efforts to ensure their peers were confident and informed voters. We are excited to see what they continue to accomplish.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge currently engages more than 9 million students from more than 950 institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
About ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a national nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge strives to change civic culture and institutionalize democratic engagement activities and programs on college campuses, making voter participation a defining feature of campus life.
ALL IN, in collaboration with more than 960 higher education institutions, seeks to make participation in local, state and federal elections a social norm; substantially increase the number of college students who are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis, during and between elections, and not just at the polls; and make educating for democratic engagement on college campuses an accepted and expected part of the culture and curriculum so that students graduate with the knowledge, skills, behaviors and values needed to be an informed and active citizen.
