Puget Sound recognized for Highest Undergraduate Voting Rate among 840 institutions and 9 million students participating in the Campus Democracy Challenge
Tacoma, Wash. – Recognized among colleges that worked to turn out the student vote in the 2020 elections, University of Puget Sound received a Champion Campus Award from the All IN Campus Democracy Challenge, tied with Bowdoin College and The College of the Atlantic for Highest Undergraduate Voting Rate. More than 840 institutions enrolling close to 9 million students participated in the ALL IN Challenge.
“We are proud of our students and are committed to supporting their growth as active and engaged participants in American democracy,” said Puget Sound President Isiaah Crawford. “Exercising the right to vote is fundamental to advancing a society that is equitable, just, and informed by the voices, experiences, hopes, and dreams of all those who call America home.”
The 2020 presidential election engaged the largest and most diverse group of college students in U.S. history according to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), a research study of the Institute for Democracy in Higher Education (IDHE) at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. IDHE reported that 66% of college students voted in the 2020 election, a 14-point increase from 2016.
“The rise in voter participation and engagement for college students in last year’s presidential election amidst a global pandemic was tremendous and will undoubtedly be tied to the tireless efforts of the dedicated students, faculty, administrators, and partner organizations that are part of the ALL IN Challenge network,” said Jen Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “The hard work of these trailblazing honorees will help support many of the country’s future leaders in fulfilling the equitable, engaged vision of democracy to which we aspire.
More information is available at allinchallenge.org/2021-award-winners.