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

5/14/2004

From: Tony Pals of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, 202-739-0474 or tony@naicu.edu; Heather Berg of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, 202-478-4665 or bergh@aascu.org

WASHINGTON, May 14 -- 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 http://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