College joins 471 colleges and universities nationwide
Inver Hills Community College has been recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. The ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting recognizes colleges and universities for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation. Inver Hills joins a group of 471 colleges and universities recognized by ALL IN for completing four core actions:
- Participating in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
- Sharing 2022 NSLVE Reports with campus voting data with ALL IN
- Developing and submitting a 2024 democratic engagement action plan with ALL IN
- Having a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation
“The research is clear: colleges and universities that make intentional efforts to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement have higher campus voter registration and voter turnout rates,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “This year we saw more colleges than ever before step up their efforts to ensure that their students were registered and ready to make their voices heard at the ballot box. These Most Engaged Campuses are setting the standard for nonpartisan civic engagement work for colleges and universities across the country.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. Campuses that join the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge complete a set of action items, with the support of ALL IN staff, to institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning and voter participation on their campus. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge currently engages 10.8 million students from more than 1,075 institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Campuses can participate in the ALL IN Challenge at Join ALL IN.
ABOUT ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. Through an intentionally-designed program that provides structure, support, and recognition, ALL IN works to improve civic learning, political engagement, and voter participation on more than 1,075 campuses nationwide. ALL IN believes higher education should play a role in developing an active and informed citizenry by educating students, motivating them to engage in American democracy, and instilling the value of lifelong participation. ALL IN is an initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
Learn more by visiting: ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
ABOUT Civic Nation
Civic Nation is a nonprofit ecosystem for high-impact organizing and education initiatives working to build a more inclusive and equitable America. Civic Nation shifts culture, systems, and policy by bringing together individuals, grassroots organizers, industry leaders, and influencers to tackle some of our nation’s most pressing social challenges. Civic Nation is home to seven national initiatives and campaigns: ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Change Collective, It’s On Us, Save On Clean Energy, SAVE On Student Debt, We The Action, and When We All Vote.
Learn more by visiting: Civic Nation
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The following news story was originally posted on DCTC News September 17, 2024.
DCTC Earns Gold Seal from ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
Award based on excellence in student voter registration and turnout during 2022 midterm elections
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) recognized Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) for making the nonpartisan democratic engagement efforts required to foster high levels of student voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections.
DCTC received the Gold Seal, reflecting the college community’s commitment to ensuring that nonpartisan democratic engagement is a defining feature of campus life. The award is based on the college’s 2022 campus voting rate from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) report issued by Tufts University
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement.
Anna Voight
DCTC was recognized alongside more than 500 campuses using data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) out of Tufts University, which found that colleges and universities had the second-highest voter turnout among students in a midterm election since NSLVE began measuring this data. The full list of campus award winners can be viewed at 2022 ALL IN Awards Champion and Best in Class Winners.
Anna Voight serves as the college’s associate director of student life. Anna is passionate about guiding student efforts to expand and enhance citizen involvement on campus and beyond.
“Voting is the cornerstone of democracy and the most direct way to shape the future,” Anna said. “College students have an incredible collective ability to shape the future when they vote. Engaged voters don’t just cast ballots—they drive change, reflect their values, and influence the policies that will impact not only their lives, but our communities and society for generations to come. I am incredibly proud of our student senate leaders who spearhead voter engagement efforts on our campus and encourage active participation in the voting process among their peers.”
ALL IN Democracy Challenge seals earned by DCTC
2022 Election Seal Levels
Bronze: 20-29%
Silver: 30-39%
Gold: 40-49%
Platinum: 50-59%
Diamond: 60%+
DCTC student voter engagement gallery
More about DCTC voter engagement efforts…
Anna recalled that student volunteers working during the lead-up to the 2022 midterms wanted to have stations with voter information set up at locations on campus frequently visited by students.
LEGO White House
“The student volunteers set up stations at the front desks in the Student Life Center and the Center for Student Success,” she said. “The desks were staffed by student ambassadors who had completed ‘ask-every-student’ training about voter engagement.”
The student volunteers wanted the stations to be visually appealing so that their fellow students would naturally want to approach a desk. They came up with the creative idea of building LEGO sets that signified civic engagement, displaying a LEGO White House at one location and a LEGO U.S. Capitol at the other.
“This idea worked really well to draw students to a desk,” Anna said, “because who doesn’t like LEGOs?” 😊
LEGO U.S. Capitol
ALL IN Democracy Challenge perspective…
“The ALL IN Awards were created to celebrate nonpartisan democratic engagement and the outstanding campus voter registration and turnout rates achieved by our ALL IN campuses,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “Ahead of the 2024 elections, ALL IN campuses are ready to build on the momentum from 2022 to ensure their communities are ready to make an even bigger impact this fall. ALL IN is proud to celebrate and honor top-performing campuses, like Dakota County Technical College, which demonstrate that nonpartisan student voter engagement is possible and effective.”
More than 1,060 institutions enrolling more than 10 million students participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, which supports colleges and universities in achieving excellence in nonpartisan student voter engagement. Campuses can join ALL IN here.
About ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) is a national nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) organization. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge strives to change civic culture and institutionalize democratic engagement activities and programs on college campuses, making voter participation a defining feature of campus life.
ALL IN, in collaboration with over 1,050 higher education institutions, seeks to make participation in local, state, and federal elections a social norm; substantially increase the number of college students who are democratically engaged on an ongoing basis, during and between elections, and not just at the polls, and; make educating for democratic engagement on college campuses an accepted and expected part of the culture and curriculum so that students graduate with the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values needed to be an informed and active citizen.
Learn more about student voter engagement efforts and Student Life at DCTC by contacting:
Anna Voight
Associate Director of Student Life
Neurodiverse Employee Resource Group (ERG) Chair
Dakota County Technical College
651-433-8649
Click image below to see the DCTC Get Out the Vote Action Plan:
