As the 2024 presidential election nears, civic engagement efforts are ramping up across the U.S. to ensure all eligible voters make it to the polls.
Student voters represent an important demographic of the overall electorate. Yet too often, these voices go unheard because of low student voter turnout. This demographic remains one of the least represented at the polls each election season. While student voter turnout recently hit a record high of 66% in the 2020 presidential election, only 31.3% of college students voted in the 2022 midterms. This figure is also down significantly from 40% in the previous midterms.
Clearly, there’s still plenty of room left for improvement when it comes to elevating student voter turnout, and community colleges, nonprofits, and other community organizations have a critical role to play in accomplishing this. By providing voter education, resources and opportunities to get involved, these organizations face an opportunity to be a true difference maker this November.
At Montgomery County Community College (MCCC), we have a long history of fostering civic engagement among our student population. As part of MCCC’s designation as a Voter Friendly Campus, MCCC President Victoria Bastecki-Perez became a signatory of the All-In Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Voter Participation. In the 2022 midterm election and 2020 presidential election, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) recently recognized MCCC for having the highest voter turnout for a two-year institution in Pennsylvania. In 2022, MCCC also received ALL IN’s Gold Seal for its outstanding student voter turnout rates.
These elevated turnout figures were the result of a strategic and concerted effort on behalf of MCCC and its faculty. Leaders at MCCC fully understand the important role they play in fostering student engagement and take this responsibility seriously. This election season, we’re sharing four tips for other community colleges to improve civic engagement among their student populations:
1. Make registration a breeze.
For many students, this is the first time they’ve been eligible to vote in a presidential election. As a result, they may not be registered to vote in their state. Given their proximity to students, community colleges have an opportunity to help students get registered. Registering to has never been easier. Community colleges can make this process even simpler for students by setting up voter registration stations around campus, regularly reminding them of key deadlines, handing out registration forms in classes, and communicating how easy the voter registration process has become.
2. Partner with local civic organizations.
There’s strength in numbers when it comes to elevating student voter turnout. At MCCC, we partner with several local, like-minded organizations like the League of Women Voters, the Montgomery County Office of Voter Service, NextGen America and local cultural centers that help us foster student civic engagement. These partners offer expertise and programming that have made a profound impact toward getting students excited about voting. Organizations like these exist in regions across the U.S. and can help provide voter registration resources, education on candidates, and opportunities for students to get involved in their communities.
3. Communicate across the campus.
In the busy life of a student, voting typically isn’t top of mind. Clear, consistent communication is key to reminding students to vote and providing them with the information they need to do it. Community colleges can use their campus as a center for resources and information. Posters, emails, social media, resources web page, and events offer key touchpoints for students to get information. Community colleges can even encourage professors to promote voting among their students in the classroom. Aside from logistical information about where and when they can vote, it is important to advise students to plan ahead. Life can easily get in the way of voting, especially for a busy college student that may also be juggling work and responsibilities at home. A little planning can go a long way in elevating a student’s likelihood of casting a vote.
4. Remain open-minded and encourage inclusivity.
As the political landscape has become polarized, it can be difficult for students to feel comfortable speaking their mind and getting involved. As community colleges, it is our responsibility to foster an environment of safety, trust, and open-mindedness. By promoting discussions, listening, and mutual understanding, students will feel more comfortable engaging civically in their community. It also fosters an environment of learning and growth that creates a stronger sense of connection between students and their surrounding communities. When this happens, students are more inclined to get involved and perform their civic duties.
It takes a village
Promoting voter turnout and civic engagement among students requires a concerted effort across community organizations. Community colleges have an important role to play and must encourage buy-in throughout their organization to make elevating student voter turnout rates a college-wide, and community-wide, goal. By partnering with local organizations, easing the registration process, delivering clear and consistent communication, and encouraging inclusivity, community colleges can make a significant difference this election season.
