Wagner College has been named a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting, highlighting its dedication to increasing nonpartisan student voter participation.
This distinction places Wagner among 471 colleges and universities nationwide recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for their commitment to civic engagement.
Bernadette Ludwig, associate professor of sociology, led the effort to get Wagner students engaged in elections. “In the fall of 2018, I founded WagnerVotes, a nonpartisan voter engagement and registration initiative, with a group of students in my first year LC. This was prompted by observing how many students are unaware of how to register to vote, the mechanics of voting, and why voting matters, and my own experience of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen that allowed me to vote in this country.” said Ludwig.
“Since 2019, I have spearheaded voter registration and education efforts at Wagner College. I have supported students to take on leadership roles within WagnerVotes and beyond.”
Through the WagnerVotes initiative and others like it, the Wagner community has fostered a culture that sees the value of civic engagement and the importance of voter education.These efforts have made Wagner a leader in preparing students to actively participate in democracy.
“The research is clear: Colleges and universities that make intentional efforts to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement have higher campus voter registration and voter turnout rates. This year we saw more colleges than ever before step up their efforts to ensure that their students were registered and ready to make their voices heard at the ballot box,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “These Most Engaged Campuses are setting the standard for nonpartisan civic engagement work for colleges and universities across the country.”
For more information about WagnerVotes, reach out to wagner.votes@wagner.edu
Additionally, you can check out this roundtable discussion with the Staten Island Advance, featuring WagnerVotes student members who shared their perspectives on voting and staying informed.
