Mallory Dunlap ’25 Earns National Recognition for Voter Registration Efforts

Heather Craigie, Associate Director of the Center for Service-Learning and Social Action, says Dunlap has put in a lot of time and effort to bolster civic engagement for JCU students. “Mallory has reinvigorated John Carroll University’s culture of student civic engagement and voting through her instrumental work as a Campus Vote Democracy Fellow and President/Founder of a new student organization, JCU Votes,” she says.

In addition to Dunlap’s achievement, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge has recognized John Carroll University for promoting civic engagement. JCU is one of the schools named ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting for student participation in the 2022 midterm elections. Campus Vote Project, another partner organization, also identified John Carroll as a Voter Friendly Campus. This designation is awarded to colleges and universities that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process – every year, not just during years featuring federal elections.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a national, nonpartisan initiative that aims to increase student voter registration and turnout rates across the United States. The challenge was launched in 2016 by the nonpartisan nonprofit organization Civic Nation with support from diverse organizations, including the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the Campus Vote Project, and the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition.

The ALL IN Challenge encourages colleges and universities to engage their students in the democratic process. The challenge offers participating institutions access to various resources and tools, including voter registration software, communication templates, and research-based best practices for promoting student voter engagement.

To participate in the challenge, colleges and universities must commit to three key actions:

1. Make a plan to register and turn out students to vote.
2. Make institutional commitments to promote civic engagement, such as providing students with information about registration and voting deadlines, hosting voter registration events, and incorporating civic engagement into the curriculum.
3. Report on their progress towards increasing voter registration and turnout rates.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge has significantly impacted student voter engagement since its launch. In the 2018 midterm elections, participating institutions saw an average increase in student voter turnout of 10.6 percentage points compared to the 2014 midterms. This increase exceeded the national average in student voter turnout over the same period.

JCU Votes will be holding their final event of the semester in recognition of Ohio’s Primary/Special Election Day on Tuesday, May 2. The campus community is welcome to stop by the Center for Service-Learning and Social Action from 9:00-11:00 am to grab a donut, share their voting plans, and engage in conversation about the importance of local elections.