Winthrop, which has received the designation in 2017, 2019, 2021 and now, is one of three colleges in South Carolina to earn the distinction.
Winthrop, which has received the designation in 2017, 2019, 2021 and now, is one of three colleges in South Carolina to earn the distinction.
ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University is one of more than 200 U.S. campuses designated in March as a “Voter Friendly Campus.” The initiative recognizes institutions that planned and implemented practices that encouraged their students to register and vote.
It is led by national nonpartisan organizations Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project (CVP) and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.
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 the presidential election. Winthrop was evaluated based on a written plan for how the institution planned to register, educate and turnout student voters in 2025, how it facilitated voter engagement efforts on the campus, and a final analysis of its efforts.
Winthrop, which has received the designation in 2017, 2019, 2021 and now, is one of three colleges in South Carolina to earn the distinction.
Winthrop President Edward Serna ’02 and others encouraged students to get out and vote last November. “We’ve found that the voter turnout recognitions are largely due to the establishment of student ambassadors. The easiest and most effective way to reach students is through other students,” Serna said. “We have recruited students who were interested in this work to share with their peers about why it’s important to be registered to vote, why it’s important to go out to vote and why it’s vital to let your voice be heard.”
The university’s strategies in the 2025 election were a mixture of some tried and true tactics and some new, according to Katarina Moyon, who works with the John C. West Forum on Politics and Policy, which is housed at Winthrop. The mission of the Voting Friendly designation is to bolster efforts that help students overcome barriers to participating in the political process.
One helpful asset is that York County continues to attract presidential primary candidates with visits to Rock Hill. At least five candidates in 2023-24, including President Trump, held campaign rallies on the campus.
Some of the university’s efforts included:
*Training 12 Student Voting Ambassadors who encouraged people to vote through visiting 15 classes, staffing four tabling events, attending other events like speakers, a debate, and a pumpkin painting, and engaging extensively in a social media information campaign, including through the Instagram account they created called Winthrop Votes.
*Forming a committee, comprised of students, staff and faculty, to work on voting efforts. Committee members shared posters with QR codes to TurboVote to help students register and vote.
*Offering General Education course directors voter education resources to share with students.
*Taking and sharing short videos on Instagram of key Winthrop administrators and faculty encouraging students to vote.
*Setting up selfie stations in the Dacus Library, DiGiorgio Student Center and Eagle Eatery cafeteria for students to use which were accompanied by a get-out-the-vote effort.
The institutions designated as Voter Friendly Campuses represent a wide range of two-year, four-year, public, private, rural and urban campuses, collectively serving millions of students.
For more information, contact Judy Longshaw, news and media services manager, at longshawj@winthrop.edu or at 803/323-2404.
