April 26, 2023
SVSU student recognized on 2023 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll
Nikolas Baker is one of 175 college students recognized for their nonpartisan democratic engagement work in 2022
Thanks to his efforts to encourage fellow students to participate in the democratic process, Saginaw Valley State University student Nikolas Baker has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) as part of the 2023 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll.
Baker, a political science major from Standish, joins a group of 175 students recognized for their voter registration, education and turnout efforts ahead of last year’s historic midterm elections. The 2022 midterm elections saw one of the highest youth turnout rates for a midterm election in the past 40 years — an estimated 23 percent of young people ages 18 to 29 turned out to vote. The ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll awards college students doing outstanding work to advance nonpartisan democratic engagement at participating campuses.
“I am proud of being recognized by ALL IN as it validates all of the hard work we put in over the past year and a half to ensure that student voices at SVSU are heard,” Baker said. “I got involved in efforts to promote democratic engagement at SVSU because I wanted to play a role in helping students understand the power that they have when they choose to be involved in the democratic system.”
Baker has served as the Cardinals Vote Coordinator since January of 2022. This nonpartisan initiative connects SVSU students with opportunities to engage in the democratic process. Baker said that students in Cardinals Vote spoke with over 1,000 students in fall 2022, assisting many in navigating the voting process.
“We do not yet have the SVSU-specific data for the 2022 election,” Baker said. “That said, Michigan had the highest youth voter turnout in the entire country, and I am confident this will be reflected in a very strong voter turnout here at SVSU.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement.
“This year’s honorees played a crucial part in registering and empowering student voters ahead of last year’s midterm elections, resulting in a historic turnout among young voters. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is honored to celebrate hundreds of student leaders encouraging nonpartisan democratic engagement across the country,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “These students organized voter registration drives, coordinated campus-wide voter engagement resources and brought polling locations to their campuses. We are excited to watch these students continue to change the world.”
With the support of the ALL IN staff, campuses that join the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge complete a set of action items to institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning, political engagement and voter participation on their campus. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge currently engages more than 9.8 million students from more than 965 institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
About ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge:
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. Through an intentionally designed program that provides structure, support, and recognition, ALL IN works to improve civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation on more than 965 campuses nationwide. ALL IN believes higher education should play a role in developing an active and informed citizenry by educating students, motivating them to engage in American democracy, and instilling the value of lifelong participation. ALL IN is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Learn more here.