Minnesota West Community and Technical College Earns ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Gold Seal for Student Voter Participation

[September 30, 2024] – Minnesota West Community and Technical College is excited to announce its recognition from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) for nonpartisan student voter participation efforts in the 2022 Midterm Election. The college has been named on ALL IN’s inaugural list of Top Campuses by 2022 Voter Turnout for Community Colleges and has earned the prestigious Gold Seal for its exceptional efforts to encourage student voting.

Minnesota West’s achievement is based on data from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) report from Tufts University, which revealed a voter participation rate between 40% and 49% among eligible students during the 2022 Midterm Election. This accomplishment represents significant progress, as the college improved from earning a Silver Seal in 2020 to a Gold Seal in 2022.

"We are deeply committed to fostering a culture of civic responsibility and active engagement among our students. Being recognized in the Democracy Cup is a testament to our ongoing efforts to empower young voices and ensure they have the tools and knowledge to participate fully in our democratic process," said Abdullahi Farah Abdigaani, Dean of Equity, Inclusion & Student Development.

To celebrate these accomplishments a Collegiate Voting Kick-off and 2022 Democracy Cup Announcement Event was held on September 26 at Metro State University. This event recognized the efforts of postsecondary institutions across Minnesota for their contributions to the 2022 elections. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon kicked off the event by emphasizing the importance of voting, especially for college students, and discussed changes in election law that benefit collegiate voters.

During the event, Secretary Simon also announced the winners of Minnesota’s 2022 Democracy Cup, a competition highlighting campuses with the highest voter turnout. The four winning institutions were:

• Southwest Minnesota State University (Marshall) with 44.5% voter turnout among eligible students (4-year public state university).
• University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with 52% voter turnout (4-year public university).
• Pine Technical and Community College (Pine City) with 48.3% voter turnout (2-year public college).
• St. Olaf College (Northfield) with 67.6% voter turnout (4-year private college).

Minnesota West remains committed to increasing voter participation and is already preparing to ensure students are registered and ready to vote in the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election.