Penn students voted at record-high rate in 2020 election, awarded Best Campus Action Plan

Penn achieved record-high voter turnout and registration rates in the 2020 presidential election, a new report found...

"Penn students outperformed both the national college student voter turnout rate and general population turnout rate, which were 66% and 67% respectively," a Nov. 9 press release from Penn Leads the Vote, a nonpartisan group, stated.

Almost 89% of registered students turned out to vote on Election Day last year...

The University was also given the Best Action Plan Award out of all four-year institutions Pennsylvania-wide for the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

The 2020-21 voter engagement action plan — released last June by PLTV, the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, and the Office of Government and Community — announced the groups' goal to achieve 100% voter registration for Penn's eligible voters by 2028. The 18-page plan focuses on the three groups' voter outreach strategies, short-term and long-term goals for the 2021-2022 academic year, and results of how successful the groups were at achieving their goals. It also outlines community programming initiatives in West Philadelphia....

Cory Bowman, associate director of the Netter Center, said he was impressed by PLTV’s motivation and how students involved in PLTV have incorporated voter education and civic engagement into many different aspects of the Penn experience.

PLTV is housed in the Netter Center, which helped reestablish the group in 2018. Bowman said that while students direct most of the work, the Netter Center provides administrative, financial, and organizational support for the program.

To read the full article in the DP, click here.