To recognize achievements in growing voter registration and turnout efforts among college students, the ALL In Campus Democracy Challenge selected a Binghamton University student for their Student Voting Honor Roll.

Jenna Vallone, a senior majoring in political science, said she began volunteering on a voter engagement team in the spring semester of 2023, adding that students can be some of the most vocal groups advocating for change. ALL In strives to “foster civic culture and institutionalize democratic engagement activities and programs at colleges and universities,” according to its mission statement.

The honor roll recognized 232 college students nationwide, representing campuses in 41 states — including 194 four-year institutions like BU, 39 community colleges and some other types of higher education institutions.

“I am honored to be recognized on the ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll,” Vallone wrote to Pipe Dream. “I genuinely believe in the goals of the Center for Civic Engagement, and it has been a privilege to support their mission for the last two and a half years. Working for the office and contributing to their goals around civic engagement and civil dialogue has been one of the most meaningful parts of my college experience.”

Jen Domagal-Goldman is the executive director of ALL In, a nonpartisan, international initiative operating across over 1,000 colleges and universities nationwide. The initiative is part of the nonprofit Civic Nation, which confronts “the biggest issues of our time” through national organizing and education initiatives.

ALL In was established in 2016 because, for the first time, there was data regarding voting rates among college students. While many assumed college students, considered politically engaged, were voting at higher rates than other adults, the data found that many were not voting at these presumed levels, Domagal-Goldman said.

Domagal-Goldman said there are barriers, like voting for the first time and being entered into the system, that prevent college students from taking that initial step. When ALL In started, she said it looked to “create cultures around civic learning and engagement, including voter participation on college campuses,” and it asked campuses to join for free. BU joined that same year.

“Part of our process is campuses join, they measure their data, they create action plans, they set goals to make sure that every eligible student is given an opportunity to be engaged in the process, and then we give a lot of recognition based on that,” Domagal-Goldman said. “So a combination of some structure and support, some recognition, and then helping folks reach higher goals.”

Part of this structure is the Student Honor Roll, which awards individuals like Vallone who foster civic engagement at their universities.

“So really know that the work of peers in this work really matters, and being able to recognize them helps to encourage others to do similar work,” Domagal-Goldman added.

Domagal-Goldman addressed some steps campuses can take to better promote civic engagement among students, like clarifying certain parts of the campus voting process to ensure students register at their actual address, not a campus box.

Peer influence, she added, can also play a critical role, and students can share their voting plans on social media or verbally with each other, with information like where the campus site is or how they can vote if they moved to an off-campus address.

Vallone said she encouraged students seeking to support political engagement to “see voting as the starting line.”

“After you vote, continue to participate in your community; volunteer; attend town hall meetings; engage with your public officials; and educate yourself on policy and bills,” she wrote.

On Election Day last November, 1,900 students cast ballots in the University Union, compared to only about 900 in 2020, a depressed figure likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite this, student voter turnout in 2020 reached a record high of nearly 64 percent, as early voting was adopted in New York after 2016, making it easier to vote by mail and leading to fewer students voting in person in the Mandela Room on Election Day.

“Jenna is one of hundreds of college students who are just making an incredible difference on their campuses and their communities, and are learning organizing and leadership skills that are going to serve them in the future, regardless of what they do,” Domagal-Goldman.

“I think her work that she’s done with the Center for Civic Engagement, I think the work she’s done with student groups on campus, the events that she’s helped organize, and all of that have served her well and means she’s been a huge asset to Binghamton,” she added. “I’m so grateful we have students like that that we can recognize and help lift up and encourage other campuses to make sure there’s opportunities for students to do the same thing.”