President Laurie A. Carter | Official website
President Laurie A. Carter | Official website
Lawrence University has been recognized as a "Most Engaged Campus" by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, acknowledging its efforts to assist students in registering to vote for the 2024 fall election. The recognition is part of an initiative by Civic Nation, a nonpartisan voter advocacy group.
The university's engagement was led by Dakota McKee, Aaron Wojciechowski, Michelle Buchinger, and Hannah Osborne from the Office of Student Engagement, Activities, and Leadership (SEAL). They focused on helping students register and become familiar with the voting process in Appleton during the Fall Term.
“Our efforts began at the start of the academic year, working to distribute information to students on important deadlines and voter information, which we did via email, flyer, and social media,” said McKee. “We also had staff available to walk students through the process from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday during the term and stayed until 8 p.m. on Election Day to answer any questions.”
Efforts included collaboration with non-partisan organizations such as Campus Vote Project and Wisconsin Votes. The "Vikings Vote" marketing campaign provided information on registration processes. Additionally, transportation was offered on Election Day along with hosting voter registration events like Mocktails Voter Registration and National Voter Registration Day tabling.
According to Civic Nation research, institutions that focus on increasing nonpartisan democratic engagement see higher campus voter registration and turnout rates. Jennifer Domagal-Goldman from ALL IN stated that these recognized campuses are setting standards for civic engagement work nationwide.
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge involves over 10 million students from more than 1,075 institutions across all states and Washington D.C., aiming for increased student participation in elections.
Civic Nation is a nonprofit focusing on building an inclusive America through organizing initiatives like Change Collective and We The Action among others.
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