SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios Announce Voter Turnout Campaign to Close Nearly 10% Voting Gap for Millions of Community College Students Nationwide

PR Newswire · 10/16 14:00

Community College Vote '24 Campaign will boost new voter turnout at more than 100 schools across 23 states with support from The Executive Leadership Council and in partnership with ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, League of Women Voters, More Than A Vote, Poder Latinx, Poderistas, Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, UnidosUS, VoteRiders and When We All Vote

NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios today announced the Community College Vote '24 campaign, building on the global media company's longstanding commitment to driving new and young voters to the polls by reaching a group that has been widely under-resourced: community college students.

There is a significant discrepancy between voter turnout for students from two-year schools and those attending public four-year universities. In 2020, community college students – representing approximately one-third of U.S. postsecondary students at the time – had a national voting rate nearly 10 percentage points lower than students at public four-year universities in the last presidential election.

Through grants and programming, SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment will provide support to more than 100 community colleges across 23 states through partnerships with ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, League of Women Voters, More Than A Vote, Poder Latinx, Poderistas, Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, VoteRiders and When We All Vote.

The Community College Vote '24 campaign builds upon the entertainment brand's April 2024 announcement with Levi Strauss & Co. and Lyft, and a coalition of companies, to close the community college voter gap by turning out 500,000 new community college voters by 2028.

"Community college students represent a significant portion of the electorate, but they face unique barriers to voting," said Brianna Cayo Cotter, SVP of Social Impact at SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios. "With the Community College Vote '24 campaign, we're focused on breaking down those barriers by working with local and national partners to ensure every student has the tools and information they need to cast their vote. Our goal is to empower the students at these 100+ community colleges to make their voices heard by participating in our democracy, and in doing so, strengthen the democratic process for all."

"Community colleges help make higher education attainable for millions of people who otherwise wouldn't have access," said SLSV Coalition Co-founder and Executive Director Clarissa Unger. "Thanks to support from partners like MTV, Levi Strauss & Co., and other companies in the Community College Commitment, we helped more than 200 community colleges host mobilizations that celebrate and encourage democratic engagement in their communities, showing their students that their voices matter and deserve to be heard alongside all students and citizens of our country."

"This year -- and every year -- we are proud to partner with community colleges to ensure students are registered and ready to vote. As part of the Community College Vote '24 campaign, we're supporting more community college campuses than ever before – nearly 300 across the country – to get students excited about using the power of their voices and voting in this critical election year," said Jen Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. 

Access to voting information on community college campuses is critical to ensuring that young people of all backgrounds have a voice in this election, as community colleges represent more than 10 million students and are traditionally more diverse than four-year colleges and universities. Among the full undergraduate student population, community colleges account for 39% of Black students, 48% of Hispanic students, 34% of AAPI students, and 52% of Native American students.

In addition to SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios' sizable contributions to these efforts, MTV has also partnered with The Executive Leadership Council, the pre-eminent non-profit membership organization of more than 800 current and former Black CEOs, senior executives, and board directors representing the largest companies and major firms dedicated to the growth and development of Black executives to positively impact business and our communities. This fall, MTV, The ELC, and their partners will support:

  • More than 40 community colleges in 21 states through the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition and ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge with grants to support Vote Early Day celebrations on their campuses, including themed events like a fishing themed

    Cast Your Ballot" party and a Halloween "Voterpalooza;"
  • The League of Women Voters, empowering 23 local chapters to register and engage voters at 68 events on 45 community college campuses;
  • More Than A Vote, the nonprofit founded by LeBron James in 2020 and now led by nine-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, will participate in multiple events across the country focused on women's issues and reproductive rights, and will include direct outreach to nearby community colleges.
  • Poder Latinx, which will host Vote Early Day events at 6 community colleges with large Latino/a/x student bodies.
  • UnidosUS, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, will do mail and digital GOTV outreach to Hispanic voters at eight HSI community colleges.
  • VoteRiders which will conduct voter ID education and assistance events on community college campuses in six states that have complex and restrictive voter ID laws; and
  • When We All Vote's "Party at the Polls" program will celebrate early voting at five community colleges, including with Diné [Tribal Community] College in partnership with Protect the Sacred.

Additionally, in April 2024, SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment, in partnership with Levi's®, the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge,  Good Trouble Collaborative, and the American Association of Community Colleges, launched the Community College Concert Competition. In addition to the 100+ community colleges receiving support through the activations above, nearly 150 participating community colleges that host qualified registration drives or voter education events entered to win this live, on-campus Vote Early concert. Austin Community College District won the flagship event featuring the powerhouse vocalist and songwriter, Jessie Murph, who also performed last month at the 2024 VMAs.

Full list of Community College Campuses with Vote '24 Activations (this does not include all colleges who entered the Community College Concert Competition):

Arizona

  • Chandler-Gilbert Community College
  • Cochise County Community College District
  • Diné College
  • Eastern Arizona College
  • Estrella Mountain Community College
  • Glendale Community College
  • Mesa Community College
  • Paradise Valley Community College
  • Pima Community College, Desert Vista Campus
  • Pima Community College, West Campus
  • Rio Salado College, Tempe Campus
  • Scottsdale Community College
  • South Mountain Community College

California

  • College of the Canyons
  • College of the Redwoods
  • College of the Sequoias Community College
  • Community College of Marin
  • Fresno City College
  • Los Medanos College
  • MiraCosta College

Connecticut

  • CT State Middlesex

Florida

  • Broward College, Central Campus
  • Broward College, South Campus
  • Eastern Florida State College, Cocoa Campus
  • Eastern Florida State College, Melbourne Campus
  • Hillsborough Community College, Brandon Campus
  • Hillsborough Community College, Dale Mabry Campus
  • Hillsborough Community College, Ybor Campus
  • Indian River State College
  • Miami Dade College-North
  • Miami Dade College-Wolfson
  • Pasco Hernando State College, East Campus
  • Pasco Hernando State College, Porter Campus
  • Pasco Hernando State College, West Campus
  • Seminole State College, Altamonte Campus
  • Seminole State College, Oviedo Campus
  • Seminole State College, Samford Campus
  • State College of Florida, Venice
  • Suncoast Technical College
  • Valencia College

Georgia

  • Albany Technical College
  • Atlanta Metropolitan State College
  • Atlanta Technical College
  • Chattahoochee Technical College
  • Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Rome Campus
  • Georgia Northwestern Technical College, Whitfield County Campus

Illinois

  • Harold Washington College
  • Kennedy-King College
  • Malcolm X College
  • Prairie State College
  • Rock Valley College
  • Truman College
  • Wilbur Wright College

Massachusetts

  • Middlesex Community College

Michigan

  • Delta College
  • Grand Rapids Community College
  • Northwest Michigan College, Aero Park Campus
  • Northwest Michigan College-Haggerty Center
  • Northwest Michigan College, Main Campus
  • Oakland Community College
  • Schoolcraft College
  • Washtenaw Community College

Minnesota

  • Century College
  • Central Lakes College
  • Inver Hills Community College
  • Lake Superior College
  • Minnesota State College Southeast
  • North Hennepin Community College

Mississippi

  • Coahoma Community College

Montana

  • Flathead Valley Community College
  • Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College

North Carolina

  • Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College
  • Central Carolina Community College
  • Craven Community College
  • Guilford County Community College
  • Edgecombe Community College
  • Forsyth Technical Community College
  • Nash Community College
  • Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
  • Wake Technical Community College

Nebraska

  • Central Technical Community College
  • Nebraska Indian Community College

Nevada

  • Truckee Meadows Community College

New Jersey

  • Middlesex College
  • Hudson County Community College

New York

  • Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY
  • Broome Community College, SUNY
  • Kingsborough Community College

Ohio

  • Cuyahoga Community College District
  • Owens Community College

Oklahoma

  • Rose State College

Pennsylvania

  • Community College of Allegheny County
  • Community College of Philadelphia
  • Delaware County Community College, Main Campus
  • Delaware County Community College, Southeast Center
  • Delaware County Community College, Upper Darby Center
  • Harrisburg Area Community College, Gettysburg Campus
  • Harrisburg Area Community College, York Campus
  • Luzerne County Community College

Texas

  • Austin Community College District, Eastview Campus
  • Austin Community College District, Highland Campus
  • Austin Community College District, Rio Grande Campus
  • Austin Community College District, Riverside Campus
  • Central Texas College
  • Odessa College
  • San Antonio College
  • Texarkana College
  • Texas South Community College
  • Western Texas College

Virginia

  • Southwest Virginia Community College

Washington

  • Whatcom Community College
  • Yakima Community College

Wisconsin

  • Chippewa Valley Technical College
  • Madison Area Technical College
  • Milwaukee Area Technical College
  • Northwood Technical College
  • UW-Whitewater at Rock County
  • Western Technical College

With more than 40 million Gen Zers eligible to vote in the 2024 election, MTV Entertainment Studios is continuing its mission to empower young and new voters, a commitment that began in 1992 with the first-of-its-kind "Choose or Lose" campaign that explained the political process to young people. These efforts continued with the passage of the Motor Voter Act in 1993, when the brand's partnership with nonprofit Rock the Vote included PSAs with stars like Madonna asking young people to call their representatives to pass the legislation that simplified the voter registration process for anybody who applied for or renewed a driver's license. In 2020, MTV founded Vote Early Day, a national holiday that has helped millions of people vote early. This election cycle's commitment to close the nearly 10 percentage point voter turnout gap between students at community colleges and students at public four-year institutions marks a new frontier in ensuring that young and new voters have the access and resources they need to make their voices heard in the democratic process.

About SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks

SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks is a global network of media assets that reaches over one billion people in more than 180 countries featuring some of the most iconic brands in entertainment including SHOWTIME, MTV, Comedy Central and Paramount Network among others – and, its Studios arm which produces 120+ series annually, including some of today's biggest hits such as Yellowstone, Yellowjackets, Emily in Paris, 1883, 1923, George & Tammy, South Park, Tulsa King, RuPaul's Drag Race, The Challenge and Jersey Shore, to name a few. SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios uses its reach for social impact, spearheading broad change-driven coalitions through its Mental Health is Health and youth voter access initiatives.

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SOURCE SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios