FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2024
California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., Honors the 2024 Ballot Bowl Overall Champion, UC Santa Barbara
Sacramento, Calif. – California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., recognized and commended the Overall Champion of the 2024 California University and College Ballot Bowl competition, University of California, Santa Barbara.
The California University and College Ballot Bowl is a friendly competition where higher education campuses compete to register the most students to vote and showcase civic engagement efforts. The California Secretary of State Students Vote Project hosts the Ballot Bowl only during an even numbered year ahead of the general election.
"This year, more than 234 California colleges and Universities competed in the 2024 Ballot Bowl competition. I am proud of each higher education system and their efforts to register students to vote. We received a record-breaking number of action plans this year. A total of 112 plans were submitted by California colleges and universities, further solidifying each campus’s dedication to civic engagement and democratic participation. I congratulate UC Santa Barbara on their well-deserved win, and I look forward to continuing our office’s work toward creating a democracy inclusive of student voices.”
California colleges and universities compete in three categories:
• The largest number of students registered to vote.
• The largest percentage of a student body registered to vote.
• The best Civic and Voter Empowerment Action Plan.
The campus that is the most well-rounded among all three categories is crowned as the Overall Champion. There was a total of 13 winners for the 2024 Ballot Bowl competition. One overall champion and one winner for each category from each system—California Community Colleges (CCC) California State Universities (CSU), University of California campuses (UC) Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AICCU).
Overall Champion:
• University of California, Santa Barbara
Campuses with the Highest Number of Students Registered to vote:
• CCC: Mt. San Antonio College
• CSU: California State University, Long Beach
• UC: University of California, Berkeley
• AICCU: Stanford University
Campuses with the Highest Percentage of Student Body Registered to vote:
• CCC: Fullerton College
• CSU: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
• UC: University of California, Santa Cruz
• AICCU: Notre Dame de Namur University
Campuses with the Best Civic and Voter Empowerment Action Plan:
• CCC: El Camino College
• CSU: California State University, Fullerton
• UC: University of California, San Diego
• AICCU: California College of the Arts
In the spirit of camaraderie, each school is only eligible to win one category.
The Ballot Bowl was developed by the California Secretary of State Students Vote Project, a statewide nonpartisan program that elevates college student voices and promotes civic engagement efforts to build a more inclusive democracy.
2024 Ballot Bowl Congratulatory Video
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