9-11-2024 3:10pm

RVCC Recognized for Excellence in Student Voter Registration, Turnout During the 2022 Midterm Elections

Donnella Tilery Editor

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) has recognized Raritan Valley Community College for its nonpartisan democratic engagement efforts that fostered high levels of student voter engagement in the 2022 midterm elections.

RVCC was honored in two areas: the “2022 New Jersey Campus Voting Challenge Highest Voting Rate: Community College” and the “2022 New Jersey Campus Voting Challenge Highest Registration Rate: Community College.” These recognitions reflect the College’s commitment to ensuring that nonpartisan democratic engagement is a defining feature of campus life.

Raritan Valley Community College also has earned a Bronze Seal from ALL IN based on its 2022 campus voting rate from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) report from Tufts University.

RVCC is the only college in New Jersey and one of only six community colleges nationally receiving the prestigious award.

“RVCC is honored to be recognized for its nonpartisan democratic engagement efforts through the College’s Pray Family Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement. This award represents our efforts to champion student voter participation, deepen the commitment to social responsibility, and contribute to democratic and electoral engagement,” said RVCC President Michael J. McDonough. “We will continue to support students ahead of the 2024 general election by building on past successes and increasing our offerings to engage more students in voting,” he continued.

RVCC is one of 93 campuses that has earned this recognition for the current election cycle by the national organization, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. The Bronze Seal recognizes higher education institutions with strong action plans to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement by promoting civic learning, political engagement, and college student voter participation. The College was honored for its work for the development of a campus Civic Action Plan for the 2024 election cycle.

RVCC’s successes in this area include taking the lead on creating a New Jersey Election Poll Worker Project, a new initiative supported by generous funding through The Pray Family Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement.

The RVCC poll worker project is an important response to supporting the November elections, as state and local officials have reported significant shortfalls in the number of available poll workers.

Additionally, The Secretary of Higher Education, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Elections in the Department of State, announced that an institution of higher education may award academic credit to an enrolled student who serves as a poll worker during an election held in the state. In response, the College’s nationally recognized Service Learning program will engage students in the poll worker project from many different disciplines.

The Pray Family Center also has co-organized the second annual New Jersey Voting Summit, which will be held at Princeton University on September 28. This summit is designed to engage Garden State students, faculty, and administrators around political participation and engagement strategies. Registration for the September 28 summit may be made at: https://allin.vote/2024NJVotesSummit.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. RVCC 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 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. 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,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “ALL IN is proud to celebrate and honor top-performing campuses, like Raritan Valley Community College, who 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.

About RVCC

Ranked by WalletHub.com, Intelligent.com, and CollegeEvaluator.com as the #1 community college in New Jersey, Raritan Valley Community College has been serving as an academic and cultural center for Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for over 50 years. The College has been nationally recognized for its service to the community, environmental stewardship, and commitment to diversity. It is home to a Planetarium, Science Education Institute, and 3M Observatory; a Theatre offering professional performances for all ages; and an Honors College for high achieving students.

The College offers approximately 90 associate degrees and certificates, as well as career training and professional development courses. RVCC is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.