If the 2016 election demonstrated anything, it was this: University of Northern Iowa students vote. They vote more than almost any other college in the nation.

In fact, only one other college in the country bested UNI’s 67.5 percent student voting rate, and, for that, the college received a Silver Seal award from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. That rate is about 17 percentage points above the average college campus.

With another election on the horizon in November, the campus is once again gearing up to get students out to vote. But this time, thanks in large part to the effort of two students, it will be something different.

Despite the impressive turnout, seniors Matt Johnson and Brenna Wolfe saw something missing in 2016.

“We saw these numbers happen naturally,” Johnson said. “There was effort from different student organizations, but there was no cohesive collaboration.”

This year, that has all changed. Wolfe and Johnson are helping UNI lead a new, unified effort, #PanthersVote, with the Northern Iowa Student Government (NISG) and University chapters of the American Democracy Project and Campus Election Engagement Project.

“In previous years, student organizations have undergone individual initiatives to encourage students to register to vote. While the hard work of these organizations has produced successful results, these independent efforts were not as effective as they could have been,” said David Konfrst, director of public relation for the student government. “Campus leaders like Brenna Wolfe and Matt Johnson are creating a cohesive movement to increase voter engagement in a joint, non-partisan effort.”

The team is currently gearing up for the upcoming National Voter Registration Day, Sept. 25, when several activities are scheduled across campus to help support student voter education and registration.

While turnout for midterm elections is typically lower than presidential years, Wolfe said that UNI students have a history of electoral participation.

“UNI students care. Our record shows that UNI students care about voting,” Wolfe said.

That sentiment was echoed by Samantha Bayne, the Iowa director of the Campus Election Engagement Project, which worked with Johnson over the summer to brainstorm #PanthersVote.

“UNI has the highest voter turnout that I have seen in the state,” Bayne said. “These numbers are incredibly rare and extremely impressive – they showcase a true culture of active citizenship at UNI.”

It’s important to remember that #PanthersVote is a strictly non-partisan effort. Party affiliation does not matter. The only thing that matters for the leaders of this effort is that students register to vote and use that vote in November.

“Voting in college sets the stage for lifelong civic engagement,” Bayne said. “The #PanthersVote campaign shows how much the university values active citizenship and creates sustainable infrastructure around future non-partisan voting efforts.”

Event information

Students groups will be spread throughout campus on Tuesday, Sept. 25, hosting games, a photo booth and a dunk tank. There will also be hubs of information for students with voter registration questions.

- The Northern Iowa Student Government will be at Maucker Union with voter registration information.

- The Blackhawk County Auditor’s Office will be on campus to answer student questions.

- The Political Science Society will be at Maucker Union with trivia, prizes and polling.

- NextGen will be at Lawther Field with Tie-Dye and games.

- UNIFI will be at Lawther Field with yard games.

- Proud will be at Lawther Field with a photo booth.

- The Northern Iowa Democrats will be at Maucker Union with a dunk tank.

- RISE will be at Maucker Union with Jenga and information about Iowa immigration.