Office of Civic Engagement has again earned CSU recognition among Washington Monthly’s “America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting.”

Posted on September 15, 2022 at 1:19 PM, updated November 22, 2022 at 2:37 PM Print

Cleveland State University’s Office of Civic Engagement (OCE), housed in the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education, has again earned CSU recognition among Washington Monthly’s “America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting.”

To make Washington Monthly’s student voting honor roll this year, universities had to submit 2020 and 2022 action plans to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. Schools also needed to have signed up to receive data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE), which calculates college-specific registration and voting rates. They must also have made their 2018 and 2020 NSLVE data available to the public. In short, schools need to have shown a repeated commitment to increasing student voting—and have been transparent about the results.

“The OCE is proud to again be named as one of America's Best Colleges for Student Voting by Washington Monthly,” said Anita Ruf-Young, Director of the OCE. “Our Office’s work as part of the ALL IN Democracy Challenge is strongly supported by CSU's commitment to civic engagement and was recently elevated again by CSU President Dr. Bloomberg's recent signing of the ‘ALL In Democracy Challenge Presidential Commitment’ to full student voter participation.”

Among the list of 230 schools, 127 had a registration rate of 85 percent or more, including Cleveland State University, who had a voter registration rate of 89 percent (up from 85.1% in 2018), compared to only 16 such schools on the 2021 honor roll.

“Ensuring voter access and civic participation for our CSU community is what motivates our Office to continue pushing the needle for full student participation in the democratic process,” Ruf Young added. “And we are getting closer every year.”