ALL IN Recognizes The 2023 Student Voting Honor Roll

College students continue to play an instrumental role in the sustained and growing levels of youth voter turnout, including near historic youth voter turnout in the 2022 midterm election according to data from CIRCLE. This fall the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University will release the 2022 National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) which will show college voter turnout and registration rates in the midterm election.

ALL IN is proud to recognize 175 college students from 39 states on the 2023 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll for their nonpartisan efforts to register, educate, and ensure their peers turned out to vote in the 2022 midterm election. These student honorees represent 23 community colleges, 20 Hispanic-Serving Institutions, 6 Historically Black Colleges & Universities, and 7 Asian American Native American Pacific Island Serving Institutions. Students on the 2023 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll worked with nonprofit organizations like the Andrew Goodman Foundation, Campus Compact’s Newman Fellowship, the Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project, and Student PIRGs.

Top row from left to right: Jasmin Hernandez Giles, California State University, Northridge; Jesse McClure, College of the Canyons; Anthony Keenan, Community College of Philadelphia; Blerina Mimini, Sauk Valley Community College; DaZay Green, National Louis University; and Krystina Cato, Elizabeth City State University.

Bottom left to right: William Keck, Simpson College; Maya Martin, Fayetteville State University; Bethany Kreklow, St. Norbert’s College; Romel Thurman, Gallaudet University; Alexa Hoekstra, Texas Woman’s University; and Marquis Heard, Iowa State University.

These student honorees have led inspiring efforts to continue to increase and institutionalize nonpartisan democratic engagement and student voting in the culture of their campus community. Below are highlights of the exemplary work done by a handful of the students on the 2023 Student Voting Honor Roll:

Alexa Hoekstra, Texas Woman’s University

Alexa, a junior political science major, led efforts to bring an early voting site to the Texas Woman’s University campus for the 2022 midterm elections.

Anthony Keenan, Community College of Philadelphia

Anthony, a second-year social and behavioral science major, moderated several voter education sessions and supported #CCPVotes during a mock election day event hosted on campus for a group of 30-40 middle school students from a local Philadelphia school.

Bethany Kreklow, St. Norbert’s College (WI)

Bethany, a junior studying history education, fostered relationships with community partners like the League of Women Voters to train residential assistants on how to share nonpartisan voter information with students.

Blerina Mimini, Sauk Valley Community College (IL)

Blerina, a second-year business administration major, made videos with student government officers to promote National Voter Registration Day and to promote Student Government elections as well as designed graphics to promote local elections to Sauk Valley Community College students.

DaZay Green, National Louis University (IL)

DaZay, a junior applied educational studies major, worked with Chicago Votes to plan a March to the Polls for both the 2022 midterm election and the 2023 Chicago mayoral election.

Marquis Heard, Iowa State University

Marquis, a senior studying political science, organized a photoshoot with Cy, ISU’s mascot, including signs promoting voter turnout around campus and recruited and trained STEM student “voting ambassadors” to encourage their peers to study issues and vote.

Jasmin Hernandez Giles, California State University, Northridge

Jasmin, a senior political science major, planned and hosted several voter registration drives and forums that engaged CSU Northridge students in the democratic process and in becoming active members in their own communities at this Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Jesse McClure, College of the Canyons (CA)

Jesse, a second year studying political science, organized five candidate forums at College of the Canyons, a California community college.

Krystina Cato, Elizabeth City State University (NC)

Krystina, a sophomore aviation emergency management major, attended local board of election meetings and provided monthly briefs to student leaders about the state of elections in the county including the location of polling locations near this HBCU campus.

Maya Martin, Fayetteville State University

Maya, a junior studying english language & literature paralegal studies, developed and implemented activities and initiatives that educate fellow Fayetteville State University students on nonpartisan democratic engagement efforts and led the initiative “Trot to the Polls” where students marched from this HBCU campus to their polling site to cast early ballots.

Romel Thurman, Gallaudet University (DC)

Romel, a senior government & public affairs major, created and executed a nonpartisan student voter engagement plan that featured bilingual approaches to civic engagement programming, including the production of a voter education guide in American Sign Language, several ASL voter registration booths, a Deaf DJ, and a high-level ASL analysis of election coverage on television.

William Keck, Simpson College (IA)

William, a senior studying political science, coordinated hour-long presentations to all first-year seminar classes and supported efforts for an altered class schedule on Election Day at Simpson College to facilitate student voting.

ALL IN congratulates all of the students recognized on the 2023 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll and thanks them for their important and inspiring efforts.

More than 960 colleges and universities currently participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. Learn more about ALL IN and donate to advance our work here.