AP20:115
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 10, 2020
Contact:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575
Secretary of State Alex Padilla Recognizes 2020 California University and College Ballot Bowl Winners
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the winners for the 2020 California University and College Ballot Bowl competition. The 2020 Ballot Bowl champion with the largest number of students registered to vote overall is California State University, Fullerton. CSU Fullerton students and administrators worked together to register 2,716 students to vote during one of the most important elections of our lifetimes.
The Ballot Bowl is a friendly competition hosted by the California Students Vote Project, where all major institutions of higher education in California—including the California Community College (CCC), California State University (CSU), University of California (UC), the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU) systems are invited to compete to register the most students to vote.
"Californian students proved their civic and campus pride as more than 82,000 college students registered to vote during the 2020 Ballot Bowl competition,” said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla. “CSU Fullerton maintained their lead throughout much of this competition, and a staggering 2,716 Titans registered to vote. Registering to vote is the first step in engaging in the democratic process. Student leaders and campus administrators across the state should be proud of the work they’ve accomplished in registering students during a pandemic.”
"I’m so proud of all of California’s universities and the students and staff who participated in the 2020 Ballot Bowl Competition and together registered a record 82,000 college students across the state for this year’s election,” said California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis. “A special congratulations to CSU Fullerton, the winner for the 2020 Ballot Bowl Competition, and all the schools that exceeded their goals. Thanks to the leadership of students and universities across the state, we are continuing to make huge progress in encouraging student civic engagement and promoting a democracy that is more inclusive of students.”
“We at Cal State Fullerton are proud that we registered more new voters than any other public college or university in the state,” said Cal State Fullerton President Fram Virjee. “But we did far more than register voters who turned out on election day; we encouraged and supported students to become informed on the issues and candidates. That is democracy and higher education at work, and this recognition is yet another testament to all Titans — students, faculty, staff, and alumni — who embrace and enhance our commitment to be a national model of civic engagement.”
“Now more than ever, our college students and young people need to get involved in civic engagement.” said Marcus Reveles, ASI President at CSUF. “It’s how we impact change for the good of our communities and campuses.”
“CSU students have proved again and again their dedication to civic engagement and voter registration," said CSSA President Zahraa Khuraibet. "All 23 of CSU campuses made unprecedented strides in registering students to vote in preparation for the 2020 general election, and as part of the Secretary of State’s Ballot Bowl competition. After Cal Poly San Luis Obispo took home the grand prize in 2018, we are so proud to see another campus, CSU Fullerton, win the 2020 Ballot Bowl! Congratulations to all of the students at CSU Fullerton, and across the state, on what you’ve accomplished.”
“This year’s Ballot Bowl was a huge success!” said Kristen Soares, President of AICCU. “Even during this very challenging time, our students recognized the importance of their vote and their voice. Thank you to the AICCU leaders for their work to register 8,800 students!”
“We are proud of all our higher education campuses who rallied their students to participate in the Ballot Bowl and in voting in the general election,” said Stephen Kodur, President of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges. “Only when we as students engage in democracy can we influence change in society for purposes we feel are important. The SSCCC is dedicated to continue voter registration and engagement annually so that the voice of students is heard.”
Throughout the 2020 Ballot Bowl, 82,634 Californian college students registered to vote, an enormous increase compared to the approximately 21,000 Californian college students who registered to vote using the Secretary of State’s online voter registration system the entire year of 2016.
During the 2020 Ballot Bowl, 95 campuses registered in the competition, including all 23 CSU campuses, all 10 UC campuses, 51 CCC, and 11 AICCU campuses. In comparison, during the Inaugural Ballot Bowl competition in 2018, 46 campuses worked together to register nearly 11,000 students to vote. The Inaugural Champion, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo registered more than 3,000 students to vote.
Four awards will be given to the CCC, CSU, UC, and AICCU systems in addition to the overall champion, for a total of seventeen awards. In the spirit of camaraderie, each campus will be able to win only one prize. The Secretary of State will present a resolution to the administration of the winning campuses acknowledging their support and efforts in the competition.
The campus with the largest number of students registered:
UC: UC San Diego
CSU: CSU Long Beach*
CCC: Chabot College
AICCU: University of San Francisco
The campus with the largest percentage of its student body registered:
UC: UC Riverside
CSU: CSU Chico
CCC: Riverside City College*
AICCU: Fresno Pacific University
The campus with the most creative approach to registering students:
UC: UC Berkeley
CSU: CSU San Bernardino
CCC: Santa Ana College
AICCU: Mount Saint Mary’s University
The most voter registrations at an on-campus voting location:
UC: UC Los Angeles
CSU: CSU Northridge
CCC: Golden West College
AICCU: University of Redlands
To select the winners of campuses with the most creative approach to registering students, the Secretary of State’s office reviewed voter outreach plans submitted to our office.
*In the spirit of camaraderie, each school could only win one prize. The asterisked schools finished second to a school that won in a separate category.
To view the full results of the California University and College Ballot Bowl, click here.
To visit the California Students Vote Project page, click here.
To view the Student Voter Resource guide, click here.
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