UMBC finished in the top 10 nationwide in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge voting pledge competition for 2020. ALL IN encourages college students to pledge to vote to promote accountability, based on evidence that when people make public pledges, they are more likely to follow through. More than 600 colleges and universities participate in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. To view the leaderboard with the top 25 institutions in the U.S. by number of pledges, click here and scroll down. 

 

The UMBC community will learn how many students actually voted in the 2020 national election when we receive our report from the National Survey of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) sometime next year. In the previous presidential election in 2016, 85 percent of UMBC students were registered to vote, and 75 percent of those actually voted. UMBC’s overall turnout rate in 2016 was 25 percent higher than the national average for colleges and universities (source: NSLVE).

 

UMBC’s Cast Your Whole Vote campaign, organized by the Center for Democracy and Civic Life in collaboration with many departments, student organizations, and campus leaders, encouraged members of the UMBC community to learn about issues, engage in civil conversations, and contribute their time and talent to building a better world on Election Day and every day. Cast Your Whole Vote programs (all virtual) included Dinner with Friends (facilitated dialogues), Change Maker Dinners (facilitated small group conversations with local leaders and activists), Debate Watch events, Post-Debate Lunch & Learn programs, and Election Night Extravaganza (a community gathering to watch and make sense of election returns). 

 

Students, faculty, and staff members trained as facilitators have organized more than 20 post-election Together Beyond November programs to help participants renew their connections and support each other in this challenging time. The Center for Democracy and Civic Life is continuing to work with campus partners to support opportunities for civic learning and sustained engagement, including the STRiVE leadership for social impact retreat (apply by 11/15), Alternative Spring Break (apply by 11/23), and a conversation with Maryland legislators who represent UMBC (11/18; RSVP required).