CLC News The news and events from Central Lakes College
Central Lakes College was named a Voter Friendly Campus, one of 272 campuses in 39 states and the District of Columbia by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The initiative recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented practices that encourage their students to register and vote.
The mission of the 2025 Voter Friendly Campus designation is to bolster colleges and universities’ efforts to help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process – every year, not just during years featuring federal elections. CLC was evaluated based on a written plan for how the college planned to register, educate, and turnout student voters in 2024, how it facilitated voter engagement efforts on campus, and a final analysis of its efforts.
“We are proud of our student leaders whose efforts to encourage all of their fellow students to vote has earned us a Voter Friendly Campus designation,” said Erich Heppner, CLC Director of Student Life. “Our focus on civic engagement at CLC is not just something we focus on when it’s convenient but is a constant effort to enable our students to be leaders in their communities.”
As part of the effort to be designated a Voter Friendly Campus, CLC incorporated the following activities on its campuses:
- New Student Orientation Day – Voter registration drive
- Rock The Vote – Voter registration drive
- Absentee Ballot Party – Early voting event
- Cast Your Ballot – Early voting event
- Pizza to the Polls – Student voter transportation
- Donut Forget to Vote – Election Day event
CLC has made intensive efforts to inform students of their civic duty and prepare them to be engaged participants in our democracy. CLC is eager to continue refining its tactics, expanding efforts, and engaging students through 2025 and beyond.
The institutions designated Voter Friendly Campuses represent a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural, and urban campuses, collectively serving over four million students. Notably, the list of designated institutions includes 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as 47 Community Colleges.
