Working Together to Improve L&C’s Voter Turnout

For the fourth consecutive election year, Lewis & Clark is taking part in the national ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, working to achieve at least 80 percent voter turnout among undergraduates through the execution of a detailed action plan. Meeting the ambitious goal is a group effort, with student groups, campus offices, academic departments, and off-campus partners working together to demonstrate Lewis & Clark’s institutional commitment to democratic engagement.

The ALL IN action plan includes several short- and long-term goals that align with L&C’s values and mission. This fall, the campus will officially incorporate voter registration and education efforts into new student programming, host events during key points in the election cycle, and ensure that students are equipped with the information they need to navigate what can be a complicated and daunting process for new voters.

The action plan, which will extend until 2026, was developed through months of close collaboration between student and staff representatives at the Center for Social Change and Community Involvement and the Palatine Hill Student Voters Club. As the academic year kicks off, numerous allies—College Athletics, Campus Living, and Mail Services, to name a few—are playing a pivotal role in carrying out ALL IN’s mission: making participating in local, state, and federal elections the social norm among students.

Andrea Salyer MA ’22, director of the Center for Social Change and Community Involvement
Credit: Nina Johnson“The commitment to getting our voter registration and voting numbers up has always been there, but this year we have the resources to execute on it,” says Andrea Salyer, the center’s director. “We’ve brought together these broad coalitions all across campus to ask, ‘How do we want to work toward our goals this year?’ That’s been amazing.”

The ALL IN collaborators have developed wide-ranging ideas to generate enthusiasm about the voting process among students. This fall, they will organize voter registration drives at athletic games, host debate watch parties with snacks, and hold political engagement interest meetings for curious new voters.

On September 10, Lewis & Clark students jammed into Council Chamber to watch the Presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Portland’s KOIN-TV was on hand to cover the watch party and interview students.

Lewis & Clark students react to Trump v Harris debate

Lily Cahill BA ’26, an economics major, a data science minor, and a Pamplin Fellow, is one of the political engagement organizers in the Center for Social Change and Community Involvement. She helps oversee L&C’s voter turnout efforts, working alongside members of the Palatine Hill Student Voters Club.

Lily Cahill BA '26Cahill and Leah Huffington BA ’25 contributed to the marketing overhaul of the college’s Voter and Civic Engagement Information webpage and the introduction of “The Ballot Bulletin,” an all-encompassing voting resource for the campus community. The bulletin addresses common student questions, such as “How do I get registered to vote?” “How do I cast an absentee ballot?” “What if I’m studying abroad on Election Day?” The answers are now easily accessible in a visually interesting print and digital package that was developed over the summer.

While data will serve as a benchmark, evaluating the success of the ALL IN action plan will involve more than just analyzing voter registration and turnout statistics in November. The organizing bodies will regroup to assess how well their strategies and tactics performed with students, making changes as needed for the next election cycle.

“I want students to remember that it’s been a long and arduous process to gain the right to vote,” Cahill says. “There are still so many systemic barriers to voting in this country. If you have the ability, it’s a real honor to exercise that right.”

Center for Social Change and Community Involvement Voter and Civic Engagement Information