La Salle received national recognition for its efforts to increase nonpartisan, democratic engagement in the 2022 midterm election. 

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, based in Washington, D.C., recognized La Salle as one of the country’s most-engaged campuses for college student voting. In measuring engagement, ALL IN judges university campuses based on: participation in the ALL IN challenge; sharing their campus voting data with ALL IN; and submitting an engagement plan to ALL IN; among other criteria. 

Ahead of the 2022 midterm, La Salle worked with ALL IN to provide an online voter registration portal for students. On election day, the University held a ‘Donut Forget to Vote’ event across campus, at which free sweet treats were offered to students, faculty, and staff as a reminder to participate at the polls. Additionally, La Salle provided polling location information for those voting closer to campus and offered shuttle service to and from the polls.  

“La Salle has long maintained a reputation for developing our students to be civically engaged members of the community,” said Regina Gauss Kosiek, the director of university ministry at La Salle who also provides voter-advocacy support and resources on campus. “Recognitions like this, from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, act as affirmation that our commitment to this effort remains firm.” 

Across the nation, college student voter turnout has increased since 2016, said ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge executive director Jennifer Domagal-Goldman. More and more campus are taking on active roles in helping students register, creating voting coalitions, spearheading education campaigns, and providing voting resources. 

At La Salle, and on other campus, “we are excited to see what they continue to accomplish ahead of  the 2022 midterms,” said Domagal-Goldman. 

In 2021, La Salle received gold-seal status from ALL IN for student voter participation in the 2020 presidential election. That same year, La Salle exceeded the national average with more than 75% of eligible student voters participating in the 2020 election, according to the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, from Tufts University’s Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE).  

—Christopher A. Vito