October 22, 2020

Daniels a national spokesperson for student voter turnout

Note to journalists: A soundbite and photographs of Purdue President Mitch Daniels are available for media use via a Google Drive folder. Journalists visiting campus should follow visitor health guidelines.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — As a national spokesperson for the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Purdue University President Mitch Daniels continues to encourage young people, specifically college students, to get out and vote during the final days leading up to the 2020 election.

Daniels and Stacey Abrams, the 2018 Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee, are national representatives for the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. Video messages from Daniels and Abrams were shared during a Wednesday (Oct. 14) online screening of “All In: The Fight for Democracy,” a documentary about voter access.

In his video statement shared during the screening, Daniels expressed concern at the number of younger Americans who have forfeited their right to vote considering their generations’ stake in upcoming public decisions. He calls for younger voters to participate in the constitutional rights given to them by U.S. citizenship.

“From environmental challenges, to unfairly tilted health care policies, to the unconscionably massive debts your elders have run up for you to pay, today’s young people have a huge stake in public decisions,” Daniels said. “Your generation must somehow find a new vocabulary of pluralism, of genuine toleration of differences, of unity as Americans. Your elders, for the moment at least, have failed that test.”

In July, Daniels announced his and Purdue's partnership with more than 160 other college presidents and chancellors in committing to full student voter registration and participation through the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. The number of signatories has since risen to 265. As part of the ALL IN Challenge, Daniels also committed Purdue’s participation in the Big Ten Voting Challenge to encourage student voting. Daniels has supported and engaged with student recruiting efforts, especially those students who have volunteered to encourage other students to register to vote. In addition, Purdue has endorsed the efforts of the Indiana Civic Health Alliance to promote civic engagement and increase voter turnout across Indiana.

daniels-vote Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, a national spokesperson for the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, continues to encourage young people, specifically college students, to get out and vote during the final days leading up to the 2020 election. (Photo provided)

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is a nonpartisan, national initiative recognizing and supporting campuses as they work to increase nonpartisan democratic engagement and full student voter participation. The Challenge encourages higher education institutions to help students form the habits of active and informed citizenship and make democratic participation a core value on their campuses.

“A healthy democracy requires a wide-open competition of ideas and a climate of freedom and non-coercion that allows those ideas to be expressed and examined,” Daniels said. “Most of all it requires an informed, active citizenry in which everyone takes part.”

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 5 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Writer: Christy McCarter

Media contact: Amy Patterson Neubert, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu

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