83 Colleges and Universities Designated “Voter Friendly Campuses”

Washington, DC – Eighty-three campuses in 23 states earned the designation as “Voter Friendly
Campuses” through a new program sponsored by NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher
Education, and Campus Vote Project (CVP), a project of Fair Elections Legal Network. The program
requires campuses to engage their student body and promote voter registration and voting as part of
their institutional mission. The goal of the Voter Friendly Campus designation program is to bolster
efforts that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process and develop a
culture of democratic engagement on campus. For more information, visit
www.voterfriendlycampus.org.

The institutions that undertook the designation process represented a range of two-year, four-year,
public, private, rural, and urban campuses, with a total enrollment of nearly 1.4 million students.

Throughout 2016, campus representatives participated in trainings to develop, implement and report
results for engagement programs that encouraged their students to register and vote. Campuses were
evaluated on their ability to complete a three-step process. These included writing a campus plan about
how they would engage student voters in the fall of 2016, facilitating voter engagement efforts on their
campus, and writing a final analysis on their efforts. The designation is valid through December 2018.

Regarding the designation program NASPA President Kevin Kruger said,

"Today, more than ever, it is critical that we employ a comprehensive set of strategies to engage college
students in the democratic process. This past election cycle, too many college students opted out of active
participation in the political process. The Voter Friendly Campus program provides a clear pathway for
campuses to activate students and underscores the importance of civic engagement."

Motivating students to register and vote establishes civic habits that last well beyond the collegiate
experience. Incorporating democratic engagement into campus life creates structure and stability for
students as they explore what their political beliefs are, and how they would like to engage in the
democratic process.

Mike Burns, the National Director of the Campus Vote Project added,

“Educating citizen leaders was the motto of my undergraduate institution and that is where I first
developed the skills of civic participation that I now use in my professional and personal life. Our work
at Campus Vote Project and the development of the Voter Friendly Campus designation with NASPA
allows us to continue to foster the civic mission of higher education to prepare the next generation of
citizen leaders.”

The following colleges and universities earned the Voter Friendly Campus designation for 2017-2018:

Alfred University
Alvernia University
Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life;
University of Texas at Austin
Arapahoe Community College
Austin Community College
California State University, Chico
California University of Pennsylvania
Case Western Reserve University
Chapman University
Chatham University
De Anza College
Durham Technical Community College
East Carolina University
East Tennessee State University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida International University
Fort Hays State University
Frostburg State University
Grand Valley State University
Hope College
James Madison University
Kennesaw State University
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
La Salle University
Lone Star College
Lynchburg College
Mesa Community College
Miami Dade College
Miami University
Miami University - Hamilton
Michigan State University
Middlesex Community College
Mount Ida College
Mount Saint Mary's University
Mount St. Joseph University
Northeastern Illinois University
Ohio Northern University
Ohio University
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Pitt Community College
Queens University of Charlotte
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rollins College
Saint Louis University
Santa Fe College
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Sinclair College
South Mountain Community College
Southern Utah University
Southwestern University
SUNY Alfred State College
SUNY Binghamton University
SUNY College at Brockport
SUNY Geneseo
Texas A&M University - Central Texas
The College of New Jersey
The Ohio State University
Towson University
University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Central Florida
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Louisville
University of Miami
University of Missouri - St. Louis
University of Nevada Reno
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
University of Pennsylvania
University of Puget Sound
University of Utah
Virginia Wesleyan College
Wake Technical Community College
Washington State University
Washington University in St. Louis
Weber State University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Western Carolina University
Wichita State University
Winona State University
Winthrop University
Wofford College

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NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession.
Our work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 15,000 members in all 50
states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories.

The Fair Elections Legal Network (FELN) is a national, nonpartisan voting rights and legal support organization that
works to eliminate barriers to voting and improve election administration across the United States. FELN's Campus
Vote Project (CVP) works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce
barriers to student voting and helps campuses institutionalize reforms that empower students with the information
they need to register and vote.