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

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Oct 16, 2024, 10:00 ET

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.

SOURCE SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios