TU Named Voter-Friendly Campus For Fourth Time

Press release from Towson University: By Kyle Hobstetter on Tuesday, March 9

Throughout the 2020 election season, Towson University provided students different
programs and events that promoted voting registration and information.

On Tuesday, Towson University was one of more than 231 campuses in 37 states and the
District of Columbia designated as a “Voter-Friendly Campus” by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

Since 2016, the national nonpartisan organizations’ initiative has held participating
institutions accountable for planning and implementing practices that encourage their
students to be informed about politics, register and vote.

And since 2016, Towson University has been a regular recipient of this honor.

“This is just a continuation of the work that we’ve been doing,” says Luis Sierra,
TU’s assistant director for civic engagement. “This honor was made possible through
our coalition and our commitment to keep our students engaged and informed.

“This was not just one person or one student; this is because we as a campus got involved.”

Throughout the 2020 election season, the Office of Civic Engagement & Social Responsibility, the Counseling Center, Events & Conference Services, the Department of Athletics, the Student Government Association, the Office of Student Activities and many more hosted events and programs to help students learn more about their
right to vote.

One of the biggest pushes came during National Voter Registration Day in late September with a bevy of activities online and in, albeit physically distanced, person. Just one example is the student-athletes and coaches who participated in the TU Athletes Vote initiative on Osler Bridge, waving signs to encourage people to register to vote.

Many student organizations, campus units and individual members took to Instagram
and Twitter to share why they vote and resources to get registered and involved. Sierra
even met with student organizations over Zoom to share information.

“Our energy had to be fostered digitally more than anything and anywhere else,” Sierra
says. “Working with colleagues across campus simply to share resources through their
social media platforms became even more important.”

Being designated a voter-friendly campus is not the only honor that TU has received
for its work in voter registration and information. "Washington Monthly" has called
Towson University one of America’s Best Colleges for Student Voting. TU is one of just nine institutions in the U.S. with a student voter registration
rate above 85%, according to the magazine.

TU is a prime example of the work being done to get young voters registered and informed.
According to Tufts University, college-aged voting reached an historic high during the 2020 presidential election,
with 52–55% of voting-eligible young people, ages 18–29, casting a ballot.

And with the 2022 mid-term elections right around the corner, Sierra isn’t resting
on his laurels. He and the rest of the Office of Civic Engagement & Social Responsibility
staff are already hard at work making students aware of how they can get involved.

“While there isn’t an election in 2021, this isn’t an off year for our office,” laughs
Sierra. “What happens in these years in between really sets the stage for the election
years.”

To learn more about the events hosted by the Office of Civic Engagement & Social Responsibility,
follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.