Harvey Mudd College Recognized as a Leader in Civic Engagement with Democracy Challenge Honors

Harvey Mudd College received the ALL IN Democracy Challenge’s Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting recognition and the Highly Established Action Plan Seal. These honors celebrate institutions that advance democratic engagement by fostering civic learning, political participation and voter turnout among students.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, aims to reduce voting gaps based on age and race while promoting inclusiveness and equity. The Highly Established Action Plan Seal specifically recognizes colleges that create and execute robust plans to support civic engagement, learning and student voter participation.

Harvey Mudd has participated in civic and democratic engagement since fall 2020, taking significant steps to implement educational programming and voter registration efforts across the campus. These activities are part of the College’s commitment to the Ask Every Student Initiative, which focuses on integrating voter engagement into the student experience. The continuation of these efforts not only meets the requirements of the initiative but also aligns closely with the College’s mission to foster informed, engaged citizens. This dedication is a key goal of Harvey Mudd’s action plan, which emphasizes the importance and value of civic and democratic engagement as central to the community and its broader objectives.

“One of the things that I noticed from our students is the curiosity of where STEM and civic engagement intersect,” says Gabriela Gamiz, director of Civic and Community Engagement at HMC. “They’re always trying to find their voice in all of this, asking ‘what could we be doing, and what does this mean?’ I think their support and their eagerness has brought such a positive light to our efforts.”

Events that Harvey Mudd hosted for students to support civic engagement were an ice cream social during New Student Orientation that included civic engagement activities and an info booth about resources like Motivote and AllSides, drawing 110 participants. Students were also encouraged to join the Unify America College Bowl, and staff and faculty held tabling events to assist with voter registration and mail-in ballots, promoted Motivote, which 314 students used, with 72% verifying their registration and 74% creating a voting plan. HMC also collaborated on a 5C carnival and election watch party and offered free postage and notary services to students.

“The continuation of these civic engagement efforts aligns closely with the College’s mission to foster informed, engaged citizens,” Gamiz says. “I think our students have lived during a very polarized time when this political identity can play such a heavy role. So, how do we unpack that? How do we make decisions about how we vote and why? How do we leverage that privilege? What does it mean to have that power of voting? What is it for them during this time? And so, I think that’s another driving force when I think about why we are so dedicated to civic engagement at the College.”