All in: 'Berg recognized for student voter engagement efforts

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge has recognized Heidelberg University for its non-partisan democratic engagement efforts that fostered high levels of student voter participation in connection with the recent 2024 general election.

Heidelberg joined 471 campuses nationwide in being named a 2024 ALL In Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting. The recognition stems from the intentional work that Heidelberg did to involve students in the democratic process with an end goal of increasing student voter engagement.

During the recent general election cycle, Heidelberg hosted a variety of events such as its annual Constitution Day Court on Campus and specifically, voter registration and absentee ballot events on campus. Students also participated in a raffle based around questions from the U.S. Naturalization Exam. Additionally, HU hosted an Election Night Watch Party that was attended by more than 100 students. At that event, they had the opportunity to ask questions of faculty members representing both perspectives of the political aisle, said Dr. Ben Pugno, Student Affairs Coordinator.

“In addition to the events, more importantly, this initiative received financial and administrative
support for a result that encouraged non-partisan engagement with voting and civic issues among
students on our campus,” Ben said.    

“It’s really important that students here at Heidelberg get a holistic learning experience in and out of the classroom, and part of that is being able to understand civic engagement and their role as engaged citizens,” he added.

Heidelberg’s voter registration initiatives were also supported with funding from the Sue and Ralph Quellhorst Endowment for Student Community Service. In all, Heidelberg hosted two voter registration events and two absentee ballot events, and many students took advantage of the opportunity to have their voices heard in the recent election, Ben said. Additionally, Heidelberg placed second in the Ohio Athletic Conference for students’ pledges to vote.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a celebration of non-partisan democratic engagement and the outstanding campus voter registration and turnout rates achieved by all of the ALL IN campuses, said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the Challenge. “ALL IN is proud to celebrate and honor top-performing campuses like Heidelberg, who demonstrate that non-partisan student voter engagement is possible and effective.”

More than 1,000 institutions enrolling more than 10 million students participated in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. It strives to change civic culture by institutionalizing democratic engagement activities and programs on college campuses, making voter participation a defining feature of campus life.