(Charleston, IL) – Eastern Illinois University learned yesterday that the Charleston, Illinois-based University was named a Voter-Friendly Campus by the 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. EIU is one of only 272 campuses in 39 states and the District of Columbia to earn the distinction.
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.” EIU was evaluated based on its written plan for registering, educating, and efforts to turn out student voters in 2024, how the University facilitated voter engagement efforts on its campus throughout the year, and a final analysis of EIU’s overall efforts to participate in American democracy.
As part of its mission to prepare responsible citizens and leaders for the future, EIU has made intensive efforts to inform students of their civic duties—including voting, volunteering, and participating in service projects—to prepare them to be engaged participants in their communities. The efforts are led by EIU’s Office of Leadership and Engagement, whose associate director Crystal Brown has spearheaded the University’s “Operation EIU Votes” initiatives since 2019. Under Brown’s leadership, EIU has earned the Voter-Friendly Campus designation for three consecutive years, beginning in 2021.
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 throughout the nation.
EIU prepares its students to accomplish their life goals through a combination of quality academics, personal relationships, and both on-campus and online learning opportunities. For more information about Eastern Illinois University, including its broad array of academic and career readiness programs, or any of EIU’s other community-based services and opportunities, visit eiu.edu or call EIU’s public information office at (217) 581-7400.
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NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. Its work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories.
Fair Elections Center is a non-partisan organization dedicated to safeguarding the future of American democracy through innovative efforts focused on voting rights and civic engagement. The organization uses advocacy, litigation, organizing, education, and technology to protect and expand the right to vote, understanding the particular impact on disenfranchised, underrepresented, and marginalized communities. Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting and helps campuses institutionalize reforms that empower students with the information they need to register and vote.