JMU named a Voter Friendly Campus

JMU was named a “Voter Friendly Campus” in recognition of JMU’s Dukes Vote efforts and the university comprehensive civic engagement action plan.

The student-led Dukes Vote initiative helped to create an on-campus voting precinct and registered more than 2,000 student voters.

JMU is one of 83 campuses in 23 states designated as a “Voter Friendly Campus.” The initiative, led by national nonpartisan organizations Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, held participating institutions accountable for planning and implementing practices that encourage their students to register and vote in the 2016 general election and in the coming years.

The mission of the Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster efforts that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process.

"I love how I was able to be a part of the election process," said junior, Gabrielle Rios, a first time voter. "Being able to go to a polling precinct and go through the whole process was fun and exhilarating because my voice counted."

Along with a successful student registration and student participation campaign, other events noted in the designation included the election night event where Dukes Vote partnered with iCitizen and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities to host a live streaming of election results, live polling and social media activity. Also, many discussions held on campus about civic life and civic engagement, from the Madison Vision Series, a lecture series bringing national scholars to speak about an educated citizenry, to JMuse Café, an informal and lively café experience while discussing a topic from an expert, as well as a growing partnership with Montpelier, James Madison’s home, exhibit JMU’s commitment to civic engagement.

To attend events and become more involved with civic engagement at JMU go to https://www.jmu.edu/civic/vote/index.shtml.