Texas A&M University-San Antonio has been named a Voter-Friendly Campus, one of 272 campuses in 39 states and the District of Columbia by 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. This is the fifth time the University has received the prestigious designation.
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. A&M-San Antonio was evaluated based on a written plan for how the University planned to register, educate, and turnout student voters in 2024. The University was also evaluated on on-campus voter engagement efforts.
“It’s important that young people know that their voice matters and how to get involved in the political process, so I’m very proud that A&M-San Antonio has been designated a Voter-Friendly Campus,” said Dr. Juan R. Guardia, vice president for student affairs. “In my role, I’m committed to promoting student development, learning and success, and it’s encouraging to see so many Jaguars civically engaged. They’re working hard to be heard.”
As part of A&M-San Antonio’s efforts to be designated a Voter Friendly Campus, the University achieved significant civic engagement milestones in 2024, including securing an on-campus presidential election early voting and election day polling site and welcoming over 4,000 voters, a new record.
Using National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement data, the University identified young voters aged 18-21 as having the greatest opportunity for increased participation. University officials focused their efforts on education and registration, integrating civic engagement into JagX, which prepares new students for college, as well as First-Year Experience programs, and hosting voter registration drives with community partners.
A&M-San Antonio also organized large-scale events like National Voter Registration Day and expanded Constitution Day programming to highlight constitutional voting rights. This included an education reform roundtable featuring representatives from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office as well as faculty from the Criminology and Criminal Justice Department who discussed how criminal justice reform impacts access to the polls.
Other initiatives included a partnership with DisabilitySA to host the speaker session Echoes of Change: Voices Beyond the Ballot, to advocate for accommodations and raise awareness about voting rights. And the panel discussion Engaging the Youth Vote included civic leaders such as the vice chair of the NAACP, the Texas director of NextGen, president of the San Antonio League of Women Voters, and chairman of the MLK Commission. These initiatives empowered community members with the knowledge and resources to become active participants in the democratic process.
A&M-San Antonio has made great strides in informing students of their civic duty and preparing them to participate actively in democracy. The University is eager to refine and expand its tactics and efforts to engage students through 2025 and beyond.
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.