Rollins Recognized as Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting

Rollins has once again been recognized as one of the nation’s most engaged campuses for college student voting. The ALL IN distinction for Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting recognizes colleges and universities for making intentional efforts to increase student voter participation. Rollins joins a group of 394 colleges and universities recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a nonpartisan initiative to increase civic learning and voter engagement on college campuses across the U.S. Previously, the organization awarded the College a Highly Established Action Plan Seal, honoring our comprehensive plan to increase voter turnout.

At the heart of Rollins’ mission to increase voter participation is the Democracy Project, a nonpartisan student-led organization devoted to helping Tars engage with the democratic process. This year, leading up to the midterm elections, the Democracy Project hosted a number of events to provide students with information and empower them to get out and vote.

“We held several voter registration drives where we gave out lots of materials regarding candidates, sample ballots, and voting information,” says public policy and political economy major and Democracy Project student coordinator Chloe White ’23. “On election day, we drove students directly to the polls to help keep them engaged and eliminate barriers to voting. That evening, we hosted an election-night results watch party with food and activities for students. Members of our team also worked with Upward Bound this semester to engage local high school students and get them excited about voting in the future.”

To qualify as a “most engaged” campus, a college or university must complete these four actions: participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, share its 2020 NSLVE Reports on-campus voting data with ALL IN, develop a 2022 democratic engagement action plan, and maintain a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation. White says that ALL IN’s focus on increased engagement perfectly aligns with Rollins’ commitment to civic responsibility.

“Rollins’ mission statement refers to students going on to lead meaningful lives by being responsible leaders,” she says. “I think in order to have a meaningful life, we must contribute to society in meaningful ways. One of the best ways we can do that is by educating ourselves and exercising our civic right to vote.”