UIS named a “Voter-Friendly Campus” by two national nonpartisan organizations

The University of Illinois Springfield has been designated a “Voter-Friendly Campus” for 2021-22 by two national non-partisan groups, the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. 

UIS is one of more than 200 campuses in 37 states and the District of Columbia designated as a “Voter-Friendly Campus.” The initiative held participating institutions accountable for planning and implementing practices that encourage their students to register and vote in 2020 elections and beyond. 

As part of UIS’ effort to be designated a “Voter-Friendly Campus,” a campus action plan was created to identify ways to increase voter education, voter registration, and voter turnout on campus. Following the Nov. 6 election, a report was submitted outlining UIS’ efforts - what went well, how the campus adapted to the challenges of COVID-19 and how students can continue to be engaged in the future.

“This designation is a clear measure of the value placed on promoting civic and electoral engagement among administrators, faculty and students at UIS,” said Jill Hawkins-Wright, director of the UIS Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center. “The process leading to this designation assisted the Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center in engaging students in the democratic process through identification of goals and strategies to increase voter turnout and democratic engagement.”

The mission of the “Voter-Friendly Campus” designation is to bolster efforts that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process. 

“UIS has made a strong statement about the civic mission of higher education to prepare students to be engaged participants in our democracy and is excited to continue engaging students through 2021, 2022 and beyond,” Hawkins-Wright said.