Purdue recognized for student voter engagement

Purdue University has been recognized as a Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting by the ALL IN Democracy Challenge (ALL IN). The program recognizes participating institutions that work to increase nonpartisan student voter registration, education and turnout and ensure equitable access to the polls for their campus community. 

The recognition is a testament to the work of the PurdueVotes Coalition, a campuswide committee that includes staff, undergraduate and graduate students who work together to increase student voting rates and help students form the habits of active and engaged citizenship. PurdueVotes sponsored numerous programs and initiatives leading up to Election Day to encourage voter registration and turnout, including:

• National Voter Registration Day events throughout campus.
• Providing voter registration and training materials in residence halls and cultural centers.
• Creating and deploying voter registration toolkits to students, student organizations and departments.
• Engaging students at various events leading up to National Voter Registration Day and Election Day.

The coalition’s full action plan can be found here.

“The PurdueVotes Coalition works year-round to make sure their peers understand their voting rights and have the resources they need to navigate the voting process here or in their home county and state,” says Melissa Gruver, co-director, PurdueVotes Coalition, and senior associate director, Roger C. Stewart Leadership and Professional Development Department. “This recognition just underscores what we already know – Purdue and our students are more committed than ever to civic literacy and the project of democracy.”

PurdueVotes was previously recognized as having the best voter engagement plan among Big Ten schools during the 2020 election cycle. The coalition’s efforts resulted in a 20-percentage-point jump in student voter turnout, to 67%, in the 2020 election.

Nationally, the 2022 election represented the second-highest youth voter (ages 18-29) turnout rate for a midterm election in the past 30 years. PurdueVotes hosted early voting at Mackey Arena and an Election Day polling location in Krach Leadership Center. The two locations combined to host 1,491 voters. 

The PurdueVotes Coalition is made up of a team of 40 members, including a 10-member core team. PurdueVotes is supported by the Office of the President and the Roger C. Stewart Leadership and Professional Development Department. Learn more about PurdueVotes here.