Lasell University received a silver seal award from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for student voter participation in the 2020 presidential election. Silver seal recipients had a voter participation rate of 60-70 percent, which, for Lasell, was an increase from the 2016 election.

Student engagement increased nationwide during the 2020 election, according to ALL IN, and much of that was a result of on-campus, grassroots efforts.

“The rise in voter participating and engagement for college students in last year’s presidential election amidst a global pandemic was tremendous and will undoubtedly be tied to the tireless efforts of the dedicated students, faculty, administrators, and partner organizations that are part of the ALL IN Challenge network,” said Jen Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

At Lasell in particular, Lasell Votes is a student-led initiative guided by a partnership between the Center for Community-Based Learning (CCBL) and Brennan Library. High turnout was encouraged through the efforts of student leaders Michael Woo ’23, Anna King ’22, and Sophia Couto ’24 who implemented virtual and in-person activities to increase engagement throughout the fall.

 “I am extremely proud of our small but mighty team for their everlasting commitment to getting our students access to vote,” says Woo. “It was motivating for us to receive the silver seal as a clear indicator of our efforts working. I am looking forward to growing our initiative and to continue finding ways to break down barriers to voting.”

In addition to honors from ALL IN, Lasell was also recognized as a Voter Friendly Campus (and just one of six in Massachusetts) for its civic engagement plan and implementation. The Voter Friendly Campus program is part of a partnership between the Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA’s NASPA LEAD Initiative.