The Students Learn Students Vote (SLSV) Coalition commends the Biden-Harris Administration for taking action to ensure institutions of higher education fulfill their responsibilities under the Higher Education Act (HEA) to make a good faith effort to distribute voter registration forms to their students, and for working to expand voting rights and voting access for Tribal Nations and Native communities, as well as directing efforts throughout the federal government to make the democratic process more equitable for all Americans.
Our Coalition was founded in large part because colleges and universities were consistently noncompliant with HEA guidance on voter registration efforts on college campuses, and the belief that colleges and universities can have an outsized impact in creating lifelong voting habits for their students. The Biden-Harris Administration’s encouragement and support will only help grow the positive impact institutions of higher learning can have on student voters. We look forward to seeing the full extent of next week’s letter and assisting the Department of Education and wider Administration in implementing its goals.
We are also pleased to learn that the Department of the Interior will work with states to formally designate Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico as voter registration agencies under the National Voter Registration Act. This will help many Native American student voters and community members gain access to the vote.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s continued focus on voting rights and voting access has been a welcomed development in the year-plus since they took office. Our Coalition stands ready to support its efforts to help student voters make their voices heard in our democracy.
