Dem
50
GOP
50
"Back in St. Olaf..." everybody votes, apparently.
Despite what the show The Golden Girls might have you believe, there is no small town in Minnesota that is called St. Olaf and is full of really stupid people. There is, however, a St. Olaf College, and it's apparently full of really smart people. People who appreciate the power of the franchise, and the importance of exercising it.
You see, there is a pro-voting activist group (one that REALLY should have a banner on our site, and soon will) called All In: Campus Democracy Challenge (AICDC). Their purpose is to help and encourage college students to get their ballots cast. AICDC has signed up 1,080 institutions, across all 50 states and Washington, DC, with a combined enrollment of over 10 million students. As you can tell, the group is really good at keeping records and statistics.
In 2020, St. Olaf College topped the list of most-engaged schools, with a remarkable 87.6% turnout rate among its student body. Characteristically, given that they are Minnesotans, the folks at St. Olaf are modest about that accomplishment. They explain that it really helps to be in Minnesota, which works very hard to allow people to vote, and which has, in fact, led the nation in turnout in each of the last three presidential elections.
Undoubtedly, it does help to be in a state that is friendly to voting, and that is friendly to student voting, in contrast to states that work hard to try to keep students from voting (ahem, Texas). However, in their modesty, the St. Olafians (is that the correct demonym?) are neglecting to mention the school's very well-established and well-supported election ambassador program. Over 100 student volunteers, who are connected to all of the various student groups and constituencies on campus, work in a nonpartisan fashion to keep their fellow students informed and engaged. They provide the paperwork needed to register to vote, they set up tables in high-traffic campus spaces and answer questions, they remind people about due dates, and the like.
And, as impressive as that 87.6% turnout in 2020 is, student leaders at St. Olaf think they can do better, and have a target of 90% this year. It's also worth noting that AICDC recognizes many different university accomplishments; in addition to St. Olaf's "highest voting rate," they also handed out awards for "highest registration rate" (Denison University), "most improved voting rate" (Holy Cross), "most improved registration rate" (Wheaton College), and a bunch of others. The group also gives the same awards to various sub-categories of colleges, including JuCos, HBCUs, private schools, and public schools. In total, more than two dozen schools were honored for their good work in 2020.
And so, kudos to AICDC, and kudos to St. Olaf College (and all the other awardees). Uff da! (which, as fans know, is used as a toast in The Golden Girls, even if it's an expression of dismay in some corners of the real world).
Have a good weekend, all! (Z)