Otterbein University 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. Otterbein 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.

“It is the role of higher education institutions like Otterbein to encourage thoughtful civic and political engagement, to model how to engage on these matters respectfully, and, hopefully, to listen, learn, and grow as a person from these experiences,” said President John Comerford. “The student leaders, faculty, staff, and administrators at Otterbein have always led by example and, as a result, we have been able implement an action plan that not only formalizes that behavior but turns it into action. This honor recognizes the nonpartisan efforts happening everyday across our campus.”

“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. 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,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “These Most Engaged Campuses are setting the standard for nonpartisan civic engagement work for colleges and universities across the country.”
  
This fall, the campus was full of activities promoting civic engagement. Otterbein’s student-led, non-partisan, voter-education group, Raise Your Voice, helped students get registered to vote; hosted bi-partisan debate watch parties; and provided information on voting by mail, important dates and deadlines, candidates, and issues on the ballots throughout the semester. Staff and faculty volunteered to drive students without transportation to the polls on Election Day to remove barriers to voting. Additionally, several classes incorporated civic engagement into their lesson plans.

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.