Clemson recognized for student voter turnout in 2008 election

Published: January 21, 2010

By Mark Sublette

CLEMSON — More than 70 percent of the Clemson University student body turned out to vote in the 2008 presidential election, making Clemson one of seven colleges nationwide to achieve this level, Tufts University and Campus Compact have announced.

Clemson, Kennesaw State University and Tufts were the three institutions with more than 5,000 students to top 70 percent voter participation. Hamline University and Smith College, with between 2,000 and 5,000 students, and Lesley University and Manchester College, with fewer than 2,000 students, also reached this level.

"With our national mania for ranking colleges and universities, wouldn't it be great if schools competed not just in sports or academic reputation, but worked to be top-ranked in student voting rates as well?" Margaret McKenna, former president of Lesley University, once observed.

Inspired by that idea, the Campus Votes Challenge started as a friendly challenge from Tufts University President Lawrence S. Bacow and grew out of Campus Compact's 2008 Voter Initiative. Administered by Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service at Tufts University, the 2008 Campus Votes Challenge drew participation from more than 40 undergraduate colleges and universities across the nation.

The 70 percent voting rate at the seven named institutions is significantly higher than the 59.7 percent national average for voter turnout among all 18- to 24-year-old college students in 2008. Fifteen institutions earned honorable mention by demonstrating a turnout of more than 60 percent.

Voting rates were calculated with assistance from students at participating institutions who gave permission to have their votes verified against the public voter record by an independent, third-party organization. These public records only indicate whether or not an individual voted and do not include how a person voted. Tisch College's Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) calculated the national averages.

"It is widely recognized that young people influenced the 2008 election by voting in larger numbers," said Campus Compact President Maureen Curley. "Campus Compact and hundreds of colleges and universities across the country actively encouraged students to vote. 2008 marked a heartening upsurge in the civic education mission of higher education."

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