Muhlenberg College Designated a Voter Friendly Campus
The Fair Elections Center initiative recognizes institutions that planned and implemented practices that encouraged their students to register and vote in the 2022 elections and in the coming years.By: Kristine Yahna Todaro Thursday, March 30, 2023 02:07 PM
Vice President of BergVotes Ashley Paseltiner '23 helped students register to vote last fall for the 2022 elections.This week, Muhlenberg College was named a Voter Friendly Campus by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.
The 2023 Voter Friendly Campus designation recognizes college and university efforts to help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process — every year, not just during years featuring federal elections.
Muhlenberg’s Office of Community Engagement (OCE) heads up the College’s campus voting and reporting efforts.
The Voter Friendly Campus designation was based on a written plan submitted by OCE with approval by the non-partisan student group BergVotes and other student organizers. Muhlenberg's efforts to register, educate and turn out student voters in 2022 were evaluated, including a review of how voter engagement efforts were facilitated on campus and a final analysis of the College’s measures.
Muhlenberg has been recognized multiple times for its commitment to increasing voter participation among its students. While the student registration and voting data for the 2022 midterm elections won't be available until next fall, the College recently earned a platinum seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for nonpartisan student voter participation efforts in the 2020 election. The student voting rate at Muhlenberg rose to 82.6 percent in the 2020 election, far exceeding the 2020 national college-student voting rate of 69 percent for private institutions and 66 percent for all institutions.
The institutions designated 2023 Voter Friendly Campuses include 258 campuses in 38 states and the District of Columbia and represent a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural, and urban campuses, collectively serving over 3.5 million students.
NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. Our work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories.
Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting and helps campuses institutionalize reforms that empower students with the information they need to register and vote.
About Muhlenberg College
Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg is a highly selective, private liberal arts college offering baccalaureate and graduate programs. With an enrollment of nearly 2,000 students, Muhlenberg College is dedicated to shaping creative, compassionate, collaborative leaders through rigorous academic programs in the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences; selected preprofessional programs, including accounting, business, education and public health; and progressive workforce-focused post-baccalaureate certificates and master’s degrees. Located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, approximately 90 miles west of New York City, Muhlenberg is a member of the Centennial Conference, competing in 23 varsity sports. Muhlenberg is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
