The recognition is given by the national nonpartisan organizations Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher ����ֱ��. UofL is one of 83 campuses in 23 states to receive the recognition. The institutions designated voter-friendly campuses represent a wide range of 2-year, 4-year, public, private, rural and urban campuses, with a total enrollment of nearly 1.4 million students.

To receive the recognition, institutions were accountable for planning and implementing practices that encouraged students to register and vote in the 2016 general election as well as future elections.

Uofl’s effort was led by Student Leadership and Service within the Division of Student Affairs. Director Pam Curtis said she learned of the designation through national organizations and said that it fit her department’s emphasis on civic engagement.

The effort began by forming a campus coalition of partners from across the campus and community, including Kentuckians for the Commonwealth and the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office, who could have an impact on driving students to vote. The coalition needed to also draw together all of the programming on campus related to voting to assess the levels of engagement.

Concurrent to the coalition, UofL also received funding from Vote Everywhere, which allowed for the hiring of a few students to lead voter registration drives on campus.

Curtis said the coalition was pleased to receive the designation, especially in the first year.

“The goal is to keep the coalition together and to really see how we get students involved in future elections,” Curtis said.

The index, compiled through a partnership with Western Kentucky University, We the People and the Kentucky Secretary of State’s Office, was issued to determine the amount of political and civic engagement undertaken by Kentucky citizens. The findings, ranging from trust in the media to the level of outreach to elected officials, was the focus of a panel discussion that included Kentucky Secretary of State, Alison Lundergan Grimes. 

The Index showed the commonwealth improved in national rankings in social , community engagement and voter registration since Grimes released the first report in 2012. But, it also showed that fewer than half of Kentuckians have confidence in media, a decline of more than 10 percent in three years, and fewer Kentuckians are trusting of their neighbors. Overall, Kentucky ranks 48th in the nation, ahead of only New Mexico (49th), Montana (50th) and Utah (51st), for public confidence in media. ().��

Grimes’ visit to UofL kicked off her second Statewide Civic Engagement Tour, with an objective of touring the state to hold conversations with Kentuckians about the state of the commonwealth’s civic health. 

Earlier in the day, students took part in the We the People competition, a nationally acclaimed civic education program focusing on the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Winners of the Kentucky state competition will advance to the national finals April 21-24 in Washington, D.C.