Letters to the Editor
Chronicle of Higher Education

To the Editor:

Any study that makes sweeping generalizations about the nation’s 1,600 independent colleges and universities, based on responses from a mere 107 of them, deserves to be met with deep skepticism (“Many Colleges Fall Short on Registering Student Voters,” September 17). The Chronicle’s charge that great numbers of private institutions are complacent about fostering good citizenship through electoral participation, and are out of compliance with federal law, is not only incorrect but irresponsible.

NAICU conducted a quick survey of our nearly 1,000 member institutions, to check the validity of the Chronicle’s survey. In just three days, 367 responded to our blind survey. Ninety-five percent are in compliance with the federal voter registration mandate.

In fact, they are going far beyond the letter of the law. Private colleges and universities are currently engaged in campus-wide voter registration, education, and motivation activities, as classes begin and America focuses on the election. They have distributed voter registration forms to students in class registration and freshmen orientation packets; voter registration drives are under way in student unions and residence halls; administrators are sending voter registration information and web links to all campus e-mail accounts; political speakers, issue forums, and mock debates are filling campus calendars; and students are bringing polling places to campus.

Since 1996 (two election cycles before registration efforts were required by law), the National Campus Voter Registration Project has given public and private institutions across the United States information and tools for registering students, educating them about the issues and candidates, and getting them to the polls on Election Day. In 2004 alone, this project—a nonpartisan effort sponsored by 48 major Washington-based higher education associations—has distributed 15,000 copies of its guide for voter registration and engagement to every institution in the nation.

Through the ambitious efforts of colleges and universities and our partner organizations, such as Rock the Vote and Youth Vote, millions of students have registered for the first time. 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 election—rates that are significantly higher than the general population.

Visit a college campus during the next few weeks, and observe the opportunities to register and engage in civic life and participatory democracy. You will find a level of involvement unmatched elsewhere in society, and dramatically at odds with the findings of your study.

Sincerely,

David L. Warren
President
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Washington, DC