UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. The University is one of 471 colleges and universities that were recognized nationally for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation.
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. Campuses that join the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge complete a set of action items, with the support of ALL IN staff, to institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning and voter participation on their campus.
“PSU Votes provides nonpartisan information to help our students prepare for and participate in elections. We are proud to be recognized by ALL IN as one of the Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting in 2024,” said Kendall Mainzer, student engagement specialist with PSU Votes. “Our main goal was to increase student turnout and increase students’ knowledge about how to register to vote. The University Park campus saw triple the number of in-person student voters at the HUB this election year.”
PSU Votes collaborates with campus partners to encourage students to become active, lifelong citizens by using nonpartisan information to highlight the importance of voting and continued civic engagement, both on campus after graduation.
In recognition of the civic engagement efforts on University Park campus, representatives from PSU Votes were invited to the White House to attend the Office of Public Engagement’s Youth Civic and Voter Engagement Event on Tues. Nov. 26.
Maddie Hindman, a political science graduate assistant working with PSU Votes, attended the White House event as part of the Penn State delegation. Hindman and staff learned about the institutional landscape of youth civic and voter engagement and has the opportunity to share best practices with other institutions.
“I was honored to represent Penn State in a room filled with dedicated peers who share a common goal of enhancing college student voter engagement,” said Hindman. “This event highlighted the power of youth voices in shaping our democracy. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to meaningful discussions on civic engagement that will enhance future efforts at Penn State.”
PSU Votes, an initiative in the Office of Student Leadership and Involvement, a unit in the division of Student Affairs, serves as the trusted University resource to educate the community about voting and civic engagement. To learn more about the PSU Votes effort visit psuvotes.psu.edu.