MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University is now among 192 universities nationwide that have received a 2024 “highly established” rating from ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, an organization that “empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement.”

The rating stems from MTSU’s highly established action plan for the 2024 election cycle, which received 31.5 of 36 possible points. MTSU is also the only Conference USA campus to receive the recognition in 2024.

“We’re proud of the external recognitions we receive from our national support partners because the awards serve as encouragement to keep pushing and upping MTSU student voting,” said Mary Evins, coordinator of MTSU’s American Democracy Project chapter and research professor in the University Honors College and Department of History.

“It’s always a work in progress, and we continue to need to better ourselves, but of course, we appreciate receiving some pats on the back along the way.”

MTSU’s Civic Action Plan was developed, written, further developed and continuously built over months. It was guided by “widespread campus stakeholders and overseen by the MTSU American Democracy Project, its students, executive board, leadership, faculty, and staff.”

The action plan serves as an operational guide to help MTSU students vote in the upcoming elections.

“MTSU’s Civic Action Plan is MTSU’s strategic plan to grow student voting on this campus. Every year, campus action planning improves and becomes more thorough, as more and more programs take on the responsibility of getting their own students informed, registered and to the polls,” Evins explained.

Other MTSU departments, centers and colleges can send MTSU ’s American Democracy Project information on what they are doing to increase student voting to be included in the university’s planning document, Evins added.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge was established in 2016 to focus on nonpartisan college student voter registration, education and participation.

“The first thing this fall MTSU’s American Democracy Project is focused on is getting our students registered to vote during the month of September. After that, getting our students informed about voting is the next step and to the polls is the next step after that,” Evins said.

According to Evins, 64.5% of MTSU students voted in the 2020 election, which was up from around 45% in 2016.

“Our goal for 2024 is at least 85% student voting to keep our steady upward trajectory of 20 points of improvement in every presidential election,” Evins said.

The last day to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 7. Register at mtsu.edu/vote.

Early voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 16, and ends Thursday, Oct. 31. Oct. 16 is MTSU’s “Take Your Students to the Polls Day,” when classes go to vote together at nearby voting locations, including the downtown Murfreesboro square.

“I take my classes to the polls every semester in which there is an election. I hope many MTSU professors will make it happen in their classes this fall,” said Evins.

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5

The American Democracy Project is a multicampus initiative that emphasizes civic engagement, with currently more than 250 campuses participating. The goal is to produce graduates who understand and are committed to engaging in meaningful actions as citizens in a democracy. Learn more about MTSU’s American Democracy Project at https://amerdem.mtsu.edu/.

For information for Tennessee voters, visit https://govotetn.com.  For information for Rutherford County voters, visit https://rutherfordcountytn.gov/voter-info.

— DeAnn Hays (DeAnn.Hays@mtsu.edu)