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JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State University has received the “Voter Friendly Campus” designation for the fourth consecutive term.
The designation, first secured by ETSU in 2017, is given by Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. This year, the initiative recognized 258 campuses in 38 states as being institutions that have planned and implemented practices that encourage their students to register and vote in the 2022 elections and in coming years.
The mission of the 2023 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.
In March 2022, ETSU became the first institution in the state of Tennessee to host an on-campus early voting site. This effort, led by the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement and ETSU Votes, played a large part in helping ETSU obtain the Voter Friendly Campus designation for the upcoming two-year term. Establishing an early voting site on-campus is a direct result of the efforts made to facilitate voter engagement and increase voter turnout.
“Voter engagement is more than just registering to vote and showing up at the polls. It’s about knowing how our government functions at all levels, what candidates and issues are on the ballot and why individual involvement in the process is so foundational to our democracy,” said Coordinator of Leadership and Civic Engagement Nathan Farnor.
This prestigious designation, officials said, is a testament to the work that ETSU is doing in its commitment to support students, faculty and staff in being active citizens through voter registration, engagement and education.
ETSU is already preparing for the upcoming election year.
“We look forward to continuing work with students and the university to build a campus culture of civic involvement this year, into 2024, and beyond,” said Farnor.
For more information about ETSU Votes and to register to vote, visit etsu.edu/votes.