North Carolina Central University (NCCU) has been named a ‘Voter Friendly Campus,’ by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NAPSA). The initiative recognizes institutions that planned and implemented practices to encourage students to register and vote in the 2022 and future elections.
NCCU is one of 13 historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs) in the nation and one of 14 campuses in the state of North Carolina to receive this designation. The institution was evaluated based on a written plan for how it planned to register, educate and turnout student voters in 2022, and how it facilitated voter engagement efforts on campus with a final analysis of efforts.
“This designation is important as it amplifies NCCU’s civic engagement commitment to reduce barriers for our students to wholly participate in the democratic process,” said Calleen Herbert, director of NCCU’s Office of Community Engagement and Service.
The mission of the 2023 Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster colleges and universities’ efforts to help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process – every year, not just during years featuring federal elections.
As part of NCCU’s effort to receive this designation, the institution’s student government association hosted the ‘Soar to the Polls’ event, which encouraged peers to vote early during the 2022 statewide general election. Students were accompanied by the NCCU Sound Machine to the campus polling precinct to cast their votes followed by a celebration at the NCCU Student Center with music, food and games. Candidate forums were also held on campus to help the university community make informed decisions at the polls.
“It is our civic duty to vote to ensure that due process of democracy is kept and student voices our heard,” said Cameron Emery, 2023-2024 NCCU Student Government Association president. “As the next generation of leaders, we must take an active role in selecting representatives at the local, state and federal levels who will make decisions that benefit the communities we serve.”
The institutions designated as Voter Friendly Campuses represent a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural and urban campuses, collectively serving over 3.5 million students. The list of designated institutions also includes 49 minority-serving institutions and 41 community colleges.
