Wake Forest named a Voter Friendly Campus
Today, Wake Forest University, was named a Voter Friendly Campus, one of 272 campuses in 39 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 that encourage their students to register and vote.
The mission of the 2025 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. Wake Forest University was evaluated based on a written plan for how we planned to register, educate, and turnout student voters in 2024, how we facilitated voter engagement efforts on our campus, and a final analysis of our efforts.
“Wake Forest University joined the Voter Friendly Campus initiative because civic engagement is not just about voting in major election years—it’s about fostering a lasting culture of participation, dialogue, and leadership every day,” said Deb Marke, Associate Director of Democratic Engagement and Justice Programs. “By committing to this effort, we ensure that our students have the tools, knowledge, and confidence to make their voices heard and actively shape their communities, not just during elections but year-round.”
As part of our effort to earn the Voter-Friendly Campus designation, Wake Forest University significantly increased voter registration through campus-wide drives, classroom visits, and student organization outreach. We enhanced voter access and education by securing approval for the Deacon OneCard as a valid voter ID and implementing TurboVote. Additionally, we expanded campus and community engagement through classroom visits, student organization partnerships, and nonpartisan dialogue events. To improve polling access and voter turnout, we established an Early Voting Site at Polo Park Community Center—just 1.5 miles from campus—and provided free shuttles to polling locations, ensuring accessibility and ease of voting.
Wake Forest University has made intensive efforts to inform students of their civic duty and prepare them to be engaged participants in our democracy. We are eager to continue refining our tactics, expanding our efforts, and engaging students through 2025 and beyond.
The institutions designated Voter Friendly Campuses represent a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural, and urban campuses, collectively serving over four million students. Notably, the list of designated institutions includes 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as 47 Community Colleges.
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NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. Our work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories.
Fair Elections Center is a non-partisan organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of our democracy through innovative efforts focused on voting rights and civic engagement. We use advocacy, litigation, organizing, education, and technology to protect and expand the right to vote, understanding the particular impact on disenfranchised, underrepresented, and marginalized communities. Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting and helps campuses institutionalize reforms that empower students with the information they need to register and vote.