UW-Madison joins Big Ten Voting Challenge
The Big Ten knows that competition brings out the best in its students
Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced UW-Madison's participation in the Big Ten Voting Challenge in an email to students this morning.
The Big Ten Voting Challenge is a competition between the 14 Big Ten colleges to increase student voter registration and turnout. Trophies will be given to the colleges with the highest and most improved voter turnouts after the 2018 election.
The challenge launched on Sept. 17 in honor of Constitution Day. The goal of the challenge is to encourage students to participate more in politics on campus and exercise one of their most basic rights as an American citizen: the right to vote.
According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, voter turnout on college campuses was only 19 percent in 2014.
In the past, UW-Madison has had success encouraging student voting. UW organizations have worked to make voting easy for students by offering free voter I.D. cards and campus spaces for voter registration.
Blank and her fellow Big Ten chancellors hope that the Big Ten Voting Challenge will help students channel their competitive spirit into political action.
To learn more and get involved, contact [email protected].