The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) recognized Lone Star College as one of the 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting recipients.
“The acknowledgment from ALL IN says we are committed to seeing our students become active citizens,” said John Theis, Ph.D., LSC-Kingwood Political Science Professor. “Young people who have traditionally not voted at as high a level as other demographic groups do not have an effective voice in government priorities due partly to low voter turnout.”
LSC’s commitment and efforts contributed to 36,565 registered student voters in 2020 (the most recent data available), which is up by 5,087 (a 14% increase) from 2014. Organizers used TurboVote and invited voter registrars with Montgomery County Deputy Voter Registrars and other local voting agencies to speak with students on the importance of registering, with some interactions happening inside the classrooms.
“Elections are crucial to democracy,” said Michele Richey, LSC-Montgomery Sociology Professor. “We, including students, must be involved in the process each time as elections determine the country’s priorities and choose who will occupy elected offices.”
LSC, along with 394 colleges and universities, earned ALL IN’s recognition for completing four actions:
- Participated in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge
- Shared campus voting data
- Developed and submitted a 2022 democratic engagement action plan
- Have a current signatory to ALL IN’s Higher Education Presidents’ Commitment to Full Student Voter Participation
“Lone Star College administrators supported our efforts and receiving this award shows that the hard work of faculty, staff and students paid off,” said Theis.
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. For more information, visit AllInChallenge.org.
Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Stephen C. Head, Ph.D., serves as chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area and has been named a 2022 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education, ranked 35th in Texas in the Forbes ‘America’s Best Employers By State’ list and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit LoneStar.edu.