Tri-C Earns Fourth National 'Voter Friendly Campus' Award

College is one of 272 campuses to earn distinction from NASPA and Campus Vote Project

CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) continues its national status as a "Voter Friendly Campus," achieving its fourth consecutive designation for 2025-2026. The award recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented practices encouraging their students to register and vote.

The honor is a culmination of a two-year planning cycle and year-round Promote the Vote activities at the College, led by Tri-C Government Relations with support from students, faculty and staff.

"Voting is more than a right in America — it's an equity point," said Katie Montgomery, the executive director of Government Relations at Tri-C. "Whether or not someone learns to vote can be a divergent point. Voting is incredibly powerful, and our efforts help prepare our students to serve as lifelong community stewards of civic engagement."

Overall, 272 campuses in 39 states and Washington, D.C., were recognized for their efforts to develop a culture of democratic engagement. Institutions are evaluated based on their plans to register, educate and turn out student voters in 2024, how they facilitate voter engagement efforts on their campuses, and an analysis of their efforts.

The Voter Friendly Campus project is designed to help students overcome barriers to participating in the voting process annually and establish civic habits that last a lifetime. It is sponsored by the Fair Elections Center's Campus Vote Project and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

"Motivating students to vote is woven into the Tri-C experience," Montgomery said.

Each year, a team of 100 students, faculty and staff work with the College's Government Relations office to offer voter engagement programs.

In the fall, the College debuted On the Case For Democracy, a short film noir parody about the search for a missing vote with input from Tri-C students and staff serving on the College's Democracy Fellows team.

"We've found humor to be a useful tool in overcoming any initial hesitancy in learning how to vote," Montgomery said. "And each cohort of Democracy Fellows is amazingly creative at putting this idea to work."

At the center of Tri-C's peer-to-peer voting efforts is The Voting Experience, an annual in-person and online voter education event for students, by students. The award-winning program provides a fun and engaging educational model that helps educate the campus community about the voting process. The program is led by students selected by the College to serve as Government Relations Democracy Fellows, in conjunction with Campus Vote Project.

Tri-C previously earned Voter Friendly Campus recognition in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

March 27, 2025

MEDIA CONTACT: Anthony Moujaes, 216-987-3068 or anthony.moujaes@tri-c.edu