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Lillian Wall
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Salem State University has received a gold seal for excellence in student voter engagement from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, an initiative of Tufts University’s Institute for Democracy & Higher Education. The ALL IN Challenge awarded gold seals to colleges and universities with 2018 midterm student voter rates between 40 percent and 49 percent. Salem State’s 2018 student voter rate was 47 percent. A full list of seal awardees can be viewed here.
Cynthia Lynch, Salem State’s director of the Center for Civic Engagement, said, “Helping today’s students become tomorrow’s leaders is central to Salem State’s mission. Engaging students in the political process allows students to raise their voices and understand the power of their vote.”
Salem State’s 47 percent mid-term student voting rate is not only above the national average, but it shows a near doubling of the university’s mid-term voter rate, which was 25 percent in 2014.
Lynch added, “We are deeply honored to receive this distinguished All IN Challenge gold seal. As we seek to create a culture of full voter participation at Salem State, I am grateful for all our students, faculty, staff, and community partners who continue to help register, provide educational programs, and promote the get-out-the vote-effort on campus and in our community.”
Student participation in elections has increased from the 2014 midterm election to the recent 2018 midterm election. According to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, an initiative of Tufts University’s Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, voter turnout at the more than 1,000 institutions participating in the study increased by 21 points from 19 percent to 40 percent.
“We are excited to honor Salem State with an ALL IN Challenge gold seal in recognition of their intentional efforts to increase democratic engagement and full voter participation,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “More institutions like Salem State are changing culture on campus by institutionalizing nonpartisan democratic engagement efforts that are resulting in the incredible student voter turnout rates that we’ve seen across the country.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a nonpartisan, national initiative recognizing and supporting campuses as they work to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement and full student voter participation. The Challenge encourages higher education institutions to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship, and make democratic participation a core value on their campus.
More than 560 campuses, enrolling more than 6.2 million students, have joined the Challenge since its launch in summer 2016.