Scripps Votes interns doing campus outreach during the 2024 US election
By Emily Glory Peters
No matter the results of each US election, one truth is immutable: Democracy hinges on broad voter participation. Thanks to Scripps students devoted to this principle, the College is delighted to announce its naming as a 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
Scripps joined the challenge 2022, receiving ALL IN Platinum Seals in 2020 and 2022. The program recognizes colleges and universities for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation.
The College met several criteria to maintain its status as a Most Engaged Campus, including sharing its 2022 National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) Reports with campus voting data; developing and submitting a 2024 democratic engagement action plan; and signing ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation.
Creating a Civically Engaged Community at Scripps
At Scripps, the Laspa Center for Leadership’s nonpartisan Scripps Votes initiative aligns perfectly with ALL IN’s program. Driven by student leaders, the project has steadily increased student voter registration on campus.
“Scripps Votes focuses on civic engagement, especially during midterm and national elections,” says Gretchen Maldonado, director of Scripps’ Laspa Center for Leadership. “Throughout the fall semester of 2024, our interns were a regular fixture on campus, offering information, activities, and resources related to advocacy, registration, and voting. More than 200 students connected with us in this way.”
While seeing fellow students vote with confidence is undeniably gratifying, Laspa Center interns appreciate the program’s ability to bridge varying viewpoints.
“I loved getting to see the whole Scripps community unite in our shared value of being politically engaged and informed,” says Blake Weld ’26, who helped lead campus outreach this year. “Our greatest impact was helping Scripps students and staff come to us with questions that they may not want to ask or get an answer to somewhere else. I’m proud we encouraged so many people to express their beliefs and values through their vote.”
Moving the Needle on College Student Voting Participation
While historic participation of college-age voters in US elections has been variable, recent data points to a steady incline in the last few elections. To fuel turnout, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge currently engages 10.8 million students from more than 1,075 institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
I loved getting to see the whole Scripps community unite in our shared value of being politically engaged and informed. – Blake Weld ’26
“The research is clear: Colleges and universities that make intentional efforts to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement have higher campus voter registration and voter turnout rates,” says Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “These Most Engaged Campuses are setting the standard for nonpartisan civic engagement work for colleges and universities across the country.”
These outcomes track at Scripps, where the student voting rate is typically 20 points or more above the national average. And while there is always room for greater engagement, the future looks bright.
“Scripps students find a way to cast their ballots,” says Maldonado. “Regardless of the outcome of any particular election, they can be counted on to continue to advocate and fight for the world they wish to see.”