We're a Voter Friendly Campus
Buffalo State has been recognized as a Voter Friendly Campus since 2021.
The Voter Friendly Campus designation program was started through the partnership of Campus Vote Project and NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators) in 2016. The Higher Education Act of 1965 requires institutions to distribute voter registration forms to their students. However, beyond that, instructions and guidance are vague. The Campus Vote Project and Young Invincibles have created a more measurable and manageable set of guidelines for schools to follow to create a more voter-friendly campus. The goal of the Voter Friendly Campus program is to help institutions develop a strategy and set clear goals to engage students so a path can be created in advance of upcoming elections. These activities can be institutionalized for years to come, keeping students engaged as they enter and move through their time at school.
Higher education's focus on civic engagement not only helps students to better understand their impact on those around them, but it also creates better students. Encouraging and assisting Buffalo State students to vote will establish participatory habits that will last well beyond their collegiate experience. Incorporating democratic engagement into campus life creates structure and stability for students as they explore what their political beliefs are and how they would like to engage in the democratic process.
Read Buffalo State's Voter Friendly Campus Action Plan for 2024-2026
Read Buffalo State's Voter Friendly Campus Final Report from January 2023
Review Buffalo State's NSLVE data for 2014 and 2018
ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge Recognizes Buffalo State
SUNY Buffalo State University has earned a Bronze Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge based on our 2022 campus voting rate from the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) report from Tufts University. This seal indicates that our campus had 20-29% voter participation in the 2022 Midterm Election.
Additionally, Buffalo State has again earned the Highly Established Action Plan seal of recognition from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for 2024. ALL IN has developed this seal of recognition for higher education institutions with strong action plans to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement by promoting civic learning, political engagement, and college student voter participation.