‘ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge’ aims to achieve 100% registration, turnout in 2022 midterm elections
Case Western Reserve President Eric W. Kaler is one of 15 college and university leaders serving on the President’s Council of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a nationwide, nonpartisan effort to increase student voter registration and turnout.
Launched in 2016, the challenge now includes more than 860 institutions around the country whose leaders have committed to take meaningful actions to encourage students to participate in elections. By experiencing such engagement early, organizers hope, students will develop a lifelong habit of democratic engagement.
“I am honored to help lead this nationwide effort to engage more of our students in the electoral process,” President Kaler said. “As institutions of higher education, we have a responsibility to help students understand the importance of making their voices heard in this year’s election—and all of the ones that follow.”
While college students’ voting rates have traditionally been among the lowest in the U.S., the 2020 election saw their participation jump to 66%—14 percentage points higher than four years earlier. That said, overall midterm election voting rates often trail general elections by as much as 18 to 20 percentage points.
Case Western Reserve’s Center for Civic Engagement and Learning provides students extensive resources and opportunities to learn about voter registration, political engagement, and other aspects of the electoral process. Such efforts have helped the university become one of 231 institutions nationwide to earn recognition as a 2021-22 Voter-Friendly Campus.
Other members of the President’s Council of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge include its chair, James Madison University President Jonathan Alger; Purdue University President Mitchell Daniels; and Prairie View A&M University President Ruth Simmons.