Democracy Initiatives
A vibrant democracy is not a given - it takes careful tending and diligent stewardship to survive and thrive. We mobilize students to be active participants and ready stewards of democracy through education, access and organizing. Find your place in this work here!
2020 Student voting rate at Middlebury over 85%!!
Student voting at MIddlebury College in 2020 was up over 23% - from 62.3% in 2016 to 85.7% in the 2020 election! While voting among students was up nationally, on average 13%, Middlebury’s results well exceeded the average increase across institutions of higher education. Learn more below about how we support student voting and democratic engagement on our campus, and how you can get involved!
The Center for Community Engagement facilitates the voting process for students, from supporting registration to providing transportation to the polls on Election Day. In advance of midterm and presidential elections, we host registration drives across campus to meet students where it is most convenient.
In addition to our “Get Out the Vote” efforts, we host and sponsor events that provide spaces for students to have productive discussions about civic engagement. We also focus on fostering stronger connections between the student body and local politics here in Vermont. For examples of how Middlebury students got involved in the 2020 election, check out our archive of 2020 election events and programming
Register to Vote or Sign Up for an Absentee Ballot
MiddVotes is our student organization for democratic engagement. Attend a MiddVotes voter registration event or email MiddVotes for information about voting or to get involved. For current and upcoming opportunities, be sure to follow MiddVotes on Facebook.
Middlebury Does Democracy! (MiDD) - Our Student-Driven Campaign for Democracy
MiDD is our new collaborative, student-driven campaign for democratic engagement. Kicked off by student leaders in Athletics, the MiDD Team Challenge helps teams of students help each other, and others, to engage in the democratic process, vote, learn and share.
The Challenge sets out goals for engagement, and recognizes team achievement as we strive to reach every Middlebury student to ask about their plan for democratic engagement.
Go MiDD! Learn more, register a Team, and get voting info here!
Middlebury College is #allintovote.
The All IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a national awards program that encourages higher education institutions to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship, and make democratic participation a core value on their campus. In 2020 Middlebury College received a platinum seal for achieving a student voter registration rate of over 97%!
The All In To Vote Pledge is a public affirmation to vote, and Pledge counts are tracked on a national leader board. Pledge to Vote HERE
Faculty Resources
Faculty are a key resource in supporting student engagement in the democratic process! From your course content, discussions and readings, to the critical thinking, inquiry and analysis you lead students through, your work helps build students’ civic skills and identity. Here are some resources for thinking about how to embed democratic engagement in your courses:
- Campus Election Engagement Project - Voter Education resources (for faculty)
- Vote.org - Comprehensive voter registration and engagement resources
- Students Learn, Students Vote Faculty Coalition resources
NESCAC Votes
Middlebury College, with Bowdoin College, cofounded NESCAC Votes, a voting challenge among NESCAC member schools. NESCAC schools will collaborate to collectively raise student voting rates in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
President Laurie Patton shares that NESCAC Votes provides “an important signal to the nation that we value democratic engagement.”
Civic Nation provides support and advising for NESCAC Votes, and collaborates closely with The Middlebury College Center for Community Engagement and the Bowdoin College McKeen Center for the Common Good to implement the challenge.
VoteTogether
Middlebury College is a participant in Civic Nation’s #VoteTogether initiative, a national campaign to increase voter participation by making voting fun and celebratory. MiddVote will continue to host #VoteTogether parties in Middlebury on future election days.
Middlebury’s NSLVE Results
Middlebury College participates in the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE). Since NSLVE’s launch in 2013, more than 1,000 colleges and universities have signed up to receive their voting rates for federal elections (both midterm and presidential) from NSLVE, a signature initiative of the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.
You can check out Middlebury College’s 2016, 2018 and 2020 reports Please note that this data includes the student body of all Middlebury schools and programs.
Get Involved!
If you are interested in getting involved in or have any questions about democracy initiatives at Middlebury, feel free to contact Center for Community Engagement Democracy Initiatives Coordinator Kristie Skor, kskor@middlebury.edu.