The University of Utah has been designated as a Voter Friendly Campus by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, NASPA and the Fair Elections Center.

“The college experience involves learning to engage with your community, advocate for what matters to you, and contribute to the world,” said Lori McDonald, vice president for student affairs. “Voting is a key way for students to achieve this. We encourage our students to vote because we want them to learn how powerful this civic duty is and how it impacts their lives now and beyond college.”

According to a statement from the Campus Vote Project announcing the U’s designation, this recognition has been given to 262 “colleges and universities with strong commitments to nonpartisan democratic engagement.” The email states that in this moment of political polarization “preparing students to be active, engaged citizens in the democratic experiment could not be more pivotal.”

As part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, most colleges and universities must distribute voter registration forms to students. The Voter Friendly Campus designation recognizes institutions that have gone above and beyond. Some examples of how the U has done this include hosting a voting location in the Marriott Library, hosting candidate conversations for major races, and using the Andrew Goodman Foundation Ambassadors to register hundreds of students to vote.

This designation is in effect from March 2023 through December 2024.