MGA Earns ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Silver Seal For Student Voter Participation

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Monday, November 8, 2021 12:00 AM
Categories: Pressroom | Honors/Awards | In the News | Faculty/Staff | Students

Macon, GA

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ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge awarded Middle Georgia State University (MGA) a Silver Seal for achieving between a 60 percent and 69 percent voting rate among students in 2020.

On Monday, Nov. 8, ALL IN announced the awards received by various institutions of higher education. About 840 colleges and universities in the U.S. participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a national, non-partisan initiative of Civic Nation. ALL IN strives to help institutions strengthen efforts to improve civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation. Ensuring that students are registered to vote and participate in all elections is a key component of the organization’s work.

The 2020 election cycle saw unprecedented voter registration and turnout among college students, 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 percent of college students voted in the 2020 election, a 14 point increase from 2016.

MGA’s voting rate increased by nearly 13 percent over 2016, from 52.7 percent to 65.4 percent, according to the NSLVE. The voting rate is the percentage of eligible students who voted on Election Day in November 2020.

In 2018, MGA received a bronze seal for achieving a student voting rate between 50 percent and 59 percent during the November 2016 election. The University also received a gold seal for student voting rates during the 2018 midterm elections. For that particular cycle, a student voting rate between 40 percent and 49 percent earned a gold seal.

“We’re delighted that Middle Georgia State University has again been recognized for our efforts to encourage every eligible student to exercise their right to vote and make their voice heard in national elections,” said Dr. Christopher Lawrence, chair of MGA’s Department of Political Science and chair of the University’s chapter of ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “We look forward to continuing our work leading up to the 2022 midterm and gubernatorial elections.”

Jen Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, said, “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. 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.”

Current ALL IN levels for award seals are:

Bronze: 49.5%-59.4% (50-60%)

Silver: 59.5%-69.4% (60-70%)

Gold: 69.5%-79.4% (70-80%)

Platinum: 79.5%-89.4% (80-90%)

Diamond: 89.5%-100% (90-100%)

MGA students who are Georgia residents can register to vote or check their voter registration status at https://registertovote.sos.ga.gov/GAOLVR/welcome.do#no-back-button.