Dalton State was recently named a Voter Friendly Campus, one of 258 campuses in 38 states and the District of Columbia by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The initiative recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented practices encouraging their students to register and vote in the 2022 elections and in coming years.
The mission of the 2023 Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster colleges and universities’ efforts to help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process – every year, not just during years featuring federal elections. Dalton State was evaluated on a written plan to register, educate and turn out student voters in 2022; facilitation of voter engagement efforts on campus and a final analysis of these efforts.
“Participating in civic engagement is essential to building a healthy and thriving community. By signing on to promote civic engagement every year, we are not only empowering our students to become active and engaged citizens, but we are also reinforcing the values of democracy and social responsibility,” said Heather Williams, associate director for Student Life at Dalton State. “Promoting civic engagement is not just limited to major election years, as the issues that impact our communities are ongoing and require continuous engagement. We want our students to understand that their voices matter, and that they have the power to make a positive difference in the world, no matter how big or small their actions may seem.”
As part of the effort to be designated a Voter Friendly Campus, Dalton State hosted the Congress to Campus Program where former Representatives Bishop and Baird took time to meet with various classes and student groups across campus to share their experiences as elected officials. Additionally, Dalton State hosted the annual Voter Registration Campus Takeover to promote voter registration.
“The student’s favorite event was the Hot Topics Event where students were able to visit a variety of posters with controversial topics, place a sticker next to their beliefs and then engage in conversations across differences with other participants,” Williams said.
The institutions designated Voter Friendly Campuses represent a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural and urban campuses, collectively serving over 3.5 million students. Notably, the list of designated institutions includes 49 Minority Serving Institutions and 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as 41 Community Colleges.
Dalton State College delivers a transformational education experience in a diverse, caring community to more than 4,500 students. An institution of the University System of Georgia, Dalton State provides broad access to high quality bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, and career certificate and teacher certification programs. Dalton State is Georgia’s first Hispanic-Serving Institution and attracts students from 33 countries worldwide.
