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Virginia Wesleyan Joins ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
Presidential commitment pledges full student voter registration and election participation
University News | June 22, 2020
Virginia Wesleyan University President Scott D. Miller announced June 22 that he has joined more than 160 college presidents in committing to full student voter registration and participation in all elections through the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN). ALL IN and its Higher Education Presidents Council launched this call to action for higher education presidents as a way to fully engage students in the electoral process.
"We are committed as a group to working with campus stakeholders to increase participation in 2020 and beyond," Dr. Miller said. "I value this opportunity to empower all eligible voters at Virginia Wesleyan to register and turnout to vote."
While college student voter participation in elections increased from the 2014 midterm election to the recent 2018 midterm election, less than half of college students made their voices heard by casting their ballots. According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, voter turnout at the more than 1,000 institutions participating in the study increased by 21 points from 19% to 40%.
“Today, young people are truly seeing how the decisions their elected officials make impact their everyday lives, and in this critical time, ensuring that they are able to make their voices heard safely is critical,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “We are excited to partner with higher education leaders across the country to change the culture at colleges and universities around engagement in our country’s political process. We are calling on all college presidents to make this commitment to their students, campuses and communities.”
By signing the pledge, Virginia Wesleyan committed to ensuring all eligible students are able to register to vote and cast informed ballots in the 2020 general election and beyond. Further, the University commits to fostering a campus culture that supports nonpartisan student civic learning, political engagement and student voter participation.
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a nonpartisan, national initiative recognizing and supporting campuses as they work to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement and full student voter participation. The Challenge encourages higher education institutions to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship, and make democratic participation a core value on their campus.
More than 650 campuses, enrolling more than 7.5 million students, have joined the Challenge since its launch in summer 2016. View the full list of ALL IN signatories.