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National Campus Voter Initiative Launched by U.S. Colleges and Universities

May 14, 2004

Contacts:
Tony Pals, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, 202-739-0474, tony@naicu.edu

Heather Berg, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, 202-478-4665, bergh@aascu.org

WASHINGTON, DC—Forty-eight national higher education associations have joined together to launch Your Vote, Your Voice: The National Campus Voter Project, a nonpartisan initiative to encourage students at America’s 3,700 colleges and universities to register, cast a ballot on Election Day, and regularly engage in participatory democracy.

“Nurturing America’s future leaders is the business of America’s colleges and universities,” said Your Vote, Your Voice co-chair David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. “Our students receive rigorous intellectual training, character development, and exposure to a world rich in new ideas. Just as important to us is fostering a strong sense of civic awareness and involvement in students of all political persuasions.

“The attention given by the 2004 presidential candidates to college students and their issues is a recognition of the potential influence of this electorate. Indeed, the issues that concern this ideologically diverse population warrant close watching by policymakers and candidates at all levels of government,” Warren said.

One of the most overlooked facts in American politics is that college students are more likely to register and vote than their noncollege peers or the general population. According to the U.S. Department of Education, 87 percent of college students registered to vote in 2000, and 78 percent voted in the last presidential election.

These statistics, and those from Harvard’s Institute of Politics, counter the myth of today’s college students as tuned out and politically disconnected. Their focus has been significantly altered by recent dramatic events: the 9/11 attacks, the subsequent war on terrorism and in Iraq, the disputed 2000 presidential election, and furious protests against economic globalization.

According to recent research, 85 percent of college students say they follow current events, 61 percent do volunteer work, and one in three participate in political rallies or demonstrations. The Harvard Institute of Politics also found that 86 percent of traditional aged college students say they definitely or probably will vote. The Harvard study also notes that, with 9.5 million 18- to 24-year olds attending college, this group represents a potentially influential voting bloc.

“The deep commitment of America's colleges and universities to preparing our students for citizenship has been matched by the energy and seriousness that this generation of college students brings to American civic life," said Constantine Curris, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and co-chair of the initiative.

“If our democracy is to be sustained and strengthened, we must continue to educate students about their rights and responsibilities as citizens and foster their engagement in the electoral process,” Curris said.

To help colleges and universities maintain and promote voter awareness, civic involvement, and participation in the electoral process, the Your Vote, Your Voice coalition has distributed to every campus in the nation a comprehensive guide to developing and implementing a campus-based voter education and participation campaign. The Your Vote, Your Voice guide is available online at www.naicu.edu/VoteVoice2004/index.htm.

Working with other national youth voter efforts such as Rock the Vote, the Commission on Presidential Debates, Youth Vote Coalition, and World Wrestling Entertainment’s Smackdown Your Vote, Your Vote, Your Voice has helped to register more than an estimated three million college and university students in the 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002 elections.

Organizations participating in Your Vote, Your Voice: The National Campus Voter Project

ACT
American Association for Higher Education
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
American Association of Community Colleges
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
American Association of University Professors
American College Personnel Association
American Council on Education
American Dental Education Association
American Society for Engineering Education
APPA: The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers Association of Academic Health Centers
Association of American Colleges and Universities
Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of American Universities
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
Association of Community College Trustees
Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges
Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
Career College Association
College and University Professional Association for Human Resources
The College Board
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Council for Higher Education Accreditation
Council for Opportunity in Education
Council of Graduate Schools
Council of Independent Colleges
Council on Governmental Relations
Educational Testing Service
EDUCAUSE
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
National Association for College Admissions Counseling
National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
National Association of College and University Business Officers
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Council of University Research Administrators
United Negro College Fund
University Continuing Education Association
Women’s College Coalition

Contact

• Tony Pals
  (202) 785-8866
  tony@naicu.edu