December 6, 2024

SVSU recognized for standout student voter engagement

Seal with laurel leaves surrounding ALL IN Most Engaged Campus

Saginaw Valley State University has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. This recognition acknowledges colleges and universities for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation. SVSU joins a group of 471 colleges and universities recognized by ALL IN for completing four core actions:

Participating in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
Sharing 2022 NSLVE Reports with campus voting data with ALL IN
Developing and submitting a 2024 democratic engagement action plan with ALL IN
Having a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation

Earlier this year, SVSU’s democratic engagement plan was recognized as a “highly established plan” by ALL IN. In the plan, the SVSU civic engagement fellows and the student organization Cardinals Vote detailed their plan to increase voter registration and engagement among SVSU students.

During the fall 2024 semester, prior to the Nov. 5 election day, SVSU students actively promoted voter registration and engagement, holding voter registration drives, voter education events and more. Over 200 SVSU students used the Motivote platform to check their voter registration and make a plan to vote.

In addition, about a dozen registered student organizations participated in the Cardinal Civic Championship, competing to encourage their members to make a plan to vote, while participating in campus civic activities. Further, several SVSU students worked the polls through a pilot program with area clerks.

“The research is clear: colleges and universities that make intentional efforts to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement have higher campus voter registration and voter turnout rates,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “This year we saw more colleges than ever before step up their efforts to ensure that their students were registered and ready to make their voices heard at the ballot box. These Most Engaged Campuses are setting the standard for nonpartisan civic engagement work for colleges and universities across the country.”

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 1,075 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.