For the second consecutive year, Wichita State University has been named a Voter Friendly Campus by the Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

Wichita State is among 258 campuses in 38 states to earn the designation. The initiative recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented practices that encourage students to register and vote in the 2022 elections and in coming years.

“This recognition solidifies the work that we are doing and shows that the commitment that the university has and has made to ensuring a civically engaged student body by providing students with the all the resources and opportunities they need to cast their vote each election,” said Gabriel Fonseca, director of student engagement, advocacy and leadership at Wichita State.

Fonseca said that through the Shockers Vote! Coalition, the university developed tools and resources the increase voting rates among students.

“I am so very proud of the work of our Shockers Vote! Coalition members have completed to earn this designation again and grateful for their time and energy to help Shockers vote,” he said.

The mission of the 2023 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. Wichita State was evaluated based on a written plan for how it planned to register, educate and turnout student voters in 2022; how it facilitated voter engagement efforts on its campus; and a final analysis of the university’s efforts.

The institutions designated Voter Friendly Campuses represent a range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural and urban campuses, collectively serving over 3.5 million students. Notably, the list of designated institutions includes 49 Minority Serving Institutions and 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, as well as 41 Community Colleges.

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Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling almost 22,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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