CC has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. The honor recognizes colleges and universities for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation. CC joins a group of 471 colleges and universities recognized by ALL IN for participating in the challenge. 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.
“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,” says 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.”
This commitment is carried out at CC by CC Votes, a cross-divisional campus and community coalition. The group hosted eight voter registration drives, supported by New Era Colorado and League of Women Voters of the Pikes Peak Region. The two groups helped register 95 students and walked 193 students to vote on November 4 and 5.
“We are proud to hear that CC has been recognized as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus,” says Niki Sosa, Assistant Director for Community Partnerships with the Collaborative for Community Engagement, who also facilitates CC Votes. “This was truly a collaborative effort of students, staff, faculty, and community partners. CC Votes came together this fall to mobilize our campus and encourage participation in our democracy. We had students helping monitor the polls to ensure a fair and safe election – while allowing every voice to be heard. While we await data on our voter registration and turn-out rates, we are proud of all the work our coalition members and CC Votes collaborators put into this election cycle.”
CC Votes also hosted voter education events including Get Out The Vote, sharing voter guides and information on how to vote on campus. Student volunteers engaged with local organizations to mobilize the on-campus community and broader local community to get registered and vote this fall. The next General Municipal Election in Colorado Springs for six City Council district seats will be April 1, 2025. Anyone interested in getting involved can email ccvotes@coloradocollege.edu.