Initiative recruits college students to register and vote on campuses across the country so that they can “transform society.”
By Eileen Griffin
A group with ties to former President Barack Obama is working to increase student voter participation in elections.
The All In Campus Democracy Challenge is a program targeting young voters, who typically vote for Democrats by large margins, The Federalist reports. Swing states like Arizona and Nevada are partnering with the organization and using taxpayer dollars to support get-out-the-vote efforts on college campuses.
In Arizona, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) announced the program, calling it a “non-partisan” initiative.
The All In Campus Democracy Challenge is an initiative of a 501c3 nonprofit called Civic Nation, an organization run almost entirely by former high ranking staff employed in the Obama administration, Influence Watch reports.
The organization’s About Us page features a picture of Michelle Obama and says, “Civic Nation is a nonprofit ecosystem for high-impact organizing and education initiatives working to build a more inclusive, equitable America.”
The work they engage in includes “fighting for gender equity, social justice, and more.”
Colleges can earn rewards based on the number of students they are able to register to vote through the program.
In 2016, the All In Campus Democracy Challenge was rejected by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), Influence Watch reported. The concern raised was that the effort was too partisan.
Some higher education groups thought Civic Nation’s connection to the Obama administration indicated a lack of independence within the organization, Inside Higher Ed reported at the time. Particularly during an election year, the connection to Obama seemed suspect.
“It was hard to know where one ended and the other began…The issue of the White House and Civic Nation, either separately or together, moving in this direction struck me as an entangling perception at best that I did not want,” NAICU President David L. Warren told Inside Higher Ed.
In 2016, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was running for president. Some questioned the roll-out of the initiative barely six months prior to the presidential election.
The Obama administration also held meetings prior to the launch. Leaders throughout higher education were invited to the White House to discuss the importance of encouraging student engagement and the growth of the youth vote. Civic Nation’s initiative was mentioned at the meeting specifically.
“Your Vote Your Voice was created explicitly as a nonpartisan entity, and we have managed to sustain it in that form for 20 years and the college association also strives to maintain its independence, Warren said.
“But here we were about 150 days from the election, and I think that with a White House sponsorship, either directly or indirectly, on voter participation, tying Your Vote Your Voice or NAICU to it would be inappropriate.”
Now with the 2024 election season underway, Civic Nation reports that 625 colleges and universities have committed to 100 percent voter registration on their campuses.
Activities tied to All In have spread across the country and can be found in universities, colleges, and community colleges.
At the Northern Illinois University, in DeKalb, the student newspaper reported 137 students on campus would be honored for their success in increasing voter enrollment and turnout.
Radford University, a public school in Virginia, was honored for its approach to increasing student voter participation in cooperation with All In.
UNC Greensboro in North Carolina was also recognized for its efforts to encourage student civic participation.
Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania earned the 2024 Highly Established Action Plan Seal of recognition from All In.
In March of this year, Ohio’s Cleveland State University Ohio earned “national praise for civic engagement” from the All In Democracy Challenge.
Similar activities are occurring in high schools, as Heartland Daily News previously reported.
Efforts made to recruit students have met with some level of success.
College students turned out in record numbers for the 2020 election, The Hill reported at the time. In 2016, 52 percent of college students voted. In 2020 that number rose to 66 percent. Other American voting groups rose only 6 percent in the same time frame.
Voters aged 18-29 were key to Biden’s win in swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
All over the country, students are being organized and positioned to provide votes. Youth voters, conditioned by the left-leaning non profits and college professors and administrators, will have more and greater impact on election outcomes.
“Given these slim margins and college students’ history of (mostly) backing Democrats, it’s no surprise Biden and Co. have made them a major focus of 2024 GOTV operations,” Shawn Fleetwood writes for The Federalist.
“With many students living near or on university grounds, campuses make for the perfect Democrat Party registration hubs and offer the party an opportunity to expand their chances of electoral success.”
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