Washington, DC: Today, the University of Puget Sound and ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge announced that President Isiaah Crawford will serve on their Presidents’ Council in 2024. Crawford will join a group of 13 college and university presidents charged with supporting senior leaders in higher education to foster nonpartisan democratic engagement on their campuses. The Presidents’ Council will lead more than 625 college and university presidents, provosts, and chancellors committed to full student voter registration and participation in the 2024 elections through the ALL IN Presidents’ Commitment. The council will be chaired by Dr. Brad L. Mortensen, President of Weber State University. A full list of Presidents’ Council members is available here.
“Participation in our democracy is a fundamental right and responsibility for every citizen, and as educators, we have a duty to ensure our students are equipped to exercise that right,” President Crawford said. “By joining the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Presidents’ Council, we reaffirm our commitment to fostering a culture of nonpartisan civic engagement and empowering our students to make their voices heard in the 2024 elections and beyond.”
“An estimated 8 million young people will be newly eligible to vote in 2024, and we want to make sure every college student can cast their ballot,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “Amidst efforts to suppress the student vote, higher education leaders have a critical role to play in creating a culture of nonpartisan civic engagement and voter participation on their campuses.”
While youth voter turnout has risen in recent years, there is still work to be done to encourage young people to register and vote. Only 23% of youth under 30 voted in the 2022 midterm elections. ALL IN has continuously grown the number of college and university presidents committed to full student voter participation on their campuses. Since the 2022 midterms, the number of Presidents’ Commitment signatories has nearly doubled.
The Presidents’ Council and the Presidents’ Commitment are a part of ALL IN’s mission to challenge institutions to prioritize nonpartisan voter registration on college campuses across the country. The council is informed by past legislation surrounding voter participation, including the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, both of which pioneered avenues for college campuses to involve their students directly in the civic process.
Higher education leaders have a responsibility to prepare students to become responsible and engaged participants in the country’s democracy, including exercising their right to register and vote. Leaders who make the Presidents’ Commitment pledge to:
- Strive toward full student voter participation by designating staff to lead this effort among the campus community;
- Acknowledge the importance of students’ voice in all elections, preparing students to be informed and active citizens and creating experiences to help students become lifelong voters;
- Empower faculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders to come together and determine solutions to the problems communities face;
- Educate voters to make informed decisions about issues and candidates in presidential, national, state, and local elections; and
- Actively participate in a democratic engagement action plan to bolster an institutional culture that supports curricular and co-curricular involvement in the electoral process.
The members have committed to supporting all institutions with nonpartisan full student voter participation efforts. The full list of signatories can be found here.
