FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

June 21, 2006 CONTACTS

Tony Pals

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

202-739-0474 (office), 202-288-9333 (mobile), tony@naicu.edu

Heather Berg

American Association of State Colleges and Universities 202-478-4665 (office), bergh@aascu.org  

Democracy 101: National Initiative Aims  to Get More College Students to the Polls  

The National Campus Voter Registration Project launches nonpartisan Web site and guidebook for registering, educating,  and turning out student voters for the 2006 mid-term election  

WASHINGTON, DC—The 2004 presidential election marked a sharp reversal in voting patterns among college students, as they turned out in numbers not seen in 12 years. 

Unprecedented campus mobilization efforts, combined with deep student interest in several hot-button issues, raised turnout among 18- to 24-year-old college students by 11 percentage points over the 2000 presidential election. 

The 2004 election set a high bar for college students and their institutions. In that election, nearly 70 percent of 18- to 24-year-old college students registered to vote. Nearly 60 percent cast a ballot. Almost twice as many college students vote as do 18- to 24-year-olds who do not attend college.  

Observers have asked whether the sharp increase is an anomaly in a long decline in voting rates, or the start of a new upward trend. 

“A renewal in civic awareness and participation has taken hold in higher education in recent years,” said David L. Warren, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and co-chair of the National Campus Voter Registration Project. “In the last two presidential elections, students saw the difference that each individual vote can make. Today’s national issues—terrorism and homeland security, the war in Iraq, the nation’s financial future, and student aid funding—are issues of great concern to this ideologically diverse group. A surge of proactive, coordinated campus voter registration and turnout initiatives, most nonpartisan in nature, motivated millions of students to cast a ballot.  

“As the 2006 election approaches, college and university leaders are not resting on their laurels,” Warren said. “Participation in midterm elections is always lower than in presidential election years. Campus organizers will be focused on topping the 26 percent of students who turned out in 2002.” 

To help accomplish this, the National Campus Voter Registration Project, a joint effort of nearly 50 national higher education associations, is again making resources available to the nation’s 3,700 colleges and universities to aid campus efforts for the 2006 election. The National Campus Voter Registration Project is a nonpartisan, nationwide campaign to register college students, foster learning about the issues and candidates, and motivate students to go to the polls on Election Day. A record number of administrators, faculty, and students turnedto the project’s materials in 2004. 

This month, the National Campus Voter Project is distributing to every campus in the nation Your Vote, Your Voice, a comprehensive guide to developing and implementing a campus-based voter education and participation campaign. It is available online at www.YourVoteYourVoice.org. 

”Nurturing America's future leaders is the business of America.s colleges and universities,” Warren said. “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 commitment in students of all political persuasions to regularly engage inparticipatory democracy.” 

Constantine Curris, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and co-chair of the initiative, added: “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.” 

“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.