While many parts of fostering civic engagement in a campus environment are hard to measure, the rate of student voter registration and student voting are two very easy variables to quantify, and are in fact publicly available data if you know where to look. And of course, if you’re not registered, you can’t vote.

Different inputs that affect the rate student voting at a given institution highlighted in this guide are more complicated, and will vary substantially from campus to campus depending on the student population type.

To increase the rate of student voter registration and student voting on your campus, you’ll need to solve key process issues for students who are approaching elections as voting age adults for the very first time. Voter education about how one registers and casts a ballot will be key, including providing your students information about online vs. paper based registration, registration deadlines, state-based voting related laws, and the absentee ballot process for students who want to vote at their permanent address.

One of a wide range of knowledge hubs developed by Campus Compact, Increasing Student Political Participation offers resources, models, and information from across the country.