McKendree University Designated a Voter Friendly Campus by NASPA, Campus Vote Project
Lebanon, IL (03/25/2025) — Today, McKendree University was named a Voter Friendly Campus, one of 259 campuses in 38 states and the District of Columbia by Fair Elections Center's Campus Vote Project and NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The initiative recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented practices that encourage their students to register and vote. McKendree is also one of seven institutions of higher learning in the state of Illinois to have earned this designation.
The mission of the 2025 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. McKendree University was evaluated based on a written plan for how they planned to register, educate, and turn out student voters in 2025, how they facilitated voter engagement efforts on campus, and a final analysis of their efforts.
"We're proud of what we're doing here on campus to ensure our students are engaged in the political process," said Dr. Ann Collins, professor of political science at McKendree University. "Our students are passionate about the issues facing our world today - and they are continuing to find their voices and power. We'll keep working to provide an environment that makes McKendree voter friendly."
McKendree has made intensive efforts to inform students of their civic duty and prepare them to be engaged participants in our democracy, including hosting viewing parties for debates, hosting Brown Bag talks about voting, providing several opportunities throughout the year to help students get registered, and much more.
The institutions designed 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.