CLC News The news and events from Central Lakes College
Central Lakes College and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) honored student Fae Ruikka as part of the fourth annual ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll. The 2025 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll recognizes college students at participating campuses who have gone above and beyond to advance nonpartisan student voter registration, education and turnout efforts in their communities. Ruikka is one of 232 students who mobilized their fellow students to make their voices heard in a historic election cycle.
“CLC is so pleased to see Fae recognized at the national level for her contributions to our efforts to ensure that our students vote,” said Erich Heppner, CLC Director of Student Life. “Fae spent the entire fall semester working with faculty to make classroom announcements about the importance of voting. She worked tirelessly to help host voter engagement events, table for voter registration, and was a critical part of our campaign to Ask Every Student to Vote Program. We are so proud of Fae and thankful for her efforts!”
Jen Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, added, “Whether they hosted nonpartisan voter registration drives or early voting celebrations, the students honored today made sure their peers did not sleep in on Election Day.With 100,000 local elections happening across the country in 2025, ALL IN students continue to ensure that everyone on their campuses has the information they need to cast their ballot. The 232 Student Voting Honor Roll honorees lead by example, making nonpartisan voter participation a lifelong habit for themselves and their peers.”
A recent survey from CIRCLE found that 48% of under-35 youth who did not vote in 2024 heard little or nothing at all about how to vote, compared to the 15% of under-35 youth who cast their ballots. By integrating nonpartisan voter registration and education into campus life, colleges and universities can have a measurable impact in encouraging students to become active and engaged citizens.
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student civic engagement. With the support of the ALL IN staff, campuses that join the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge complete a set of action items to institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning, voter participation and ongoing engagement in our democracy on their campus. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge engages more than 1,000 institutions enrolling over 10 million students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
