Utah State University Earns National Recognition for Civic Engagement Efforts

Utah State University has been recognized with the Highly Established Action Plan Seal for the 2026 election cycle by ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a national initiative dedicated to advancing civic learning and democratic engagement among college students.

The designation recognizes USU for developing a nonpartisan democratic engagement action plan that scored 31.5 out of 36 possible points across nine evaluation categories, including leadership, goals, strategy and civic learning outcomes on the Strengthening American Democracy Action Planning Guide Rubric. USU is one of 167 campuses nationwide to earn the recognition for the 2026 cycle.

ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is an initiative of Civic Nation, a nonprofit, and works with more than 1,000 colleges and universities across all 50 states. The program provides campuses with structure, support and recognition for their nonpartisan civic engagement efforts. Research shows that campuses highly engaged in ALL IN programming have student voter turnout rates 5 percentage points higher than their peers.

The ALL IN seal is awarded to colleges and universities that demonstrate a strong institutional commitment to nonpartisan civic learning, political engagement and democratic participation.

USU's ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge civic engagement efforts relating to voter registration are led through the Institute of Government & Politics, a nonpartisan unit that connects students with internships, seminars and public policy experiences at the local, state and national levels.

Jennifer Seelig, director of the Institute of Government & Politics, said the recognition reflects a campuswide effort to make civic engagement part of the Aggie experience.

"We are very appreciative of the leadership of President Brad Mortensen and his emphasis on civic engagement,” Seelig said. “Drafting this action plan has helped IOGP set clear goals for encouraging and coordinating nonpartisan voter registration efforts across Utah State University as we prepare for the 2026–2027 academic year.”

The action plan has also created an opportunity to highlight the strong civic engagement work already happening across USU, Seelig said, while identifying synergies and new ways to better connect with students.

“We are building a university-wide coalition to align and strengthen these efforts and look forward to incorporating student feedback throughout the process," she added

For more information on how to get involved, email Sydney Lyman at sydney.lyman@usu.edu.