Raritan Valley Community College was recognized on Mar. 17 with the 2026 Highly Established Action Plan Seal by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for its nonpartisan civic engagement and student voter participation strategies.
The award highlights the importance of encouraging students to participate in democracy and acknowledges institutions that create effective plans to increase voter turnout among young people. RVCC is one of only 129 campuses nationwide, including just 19 community colleges, to receive this highest level of recognition for the upcoming election cycle.
RVCC’s initiative was led by The Pray Family Center for Service Learning and Civic Engagement in partnership with the Office of Student Life. Their action plan involves collaboration among students, faculty, administrators, nonprofit partners, and local election officials to boost student voting. Activities at RVCC have included voter registration drives, poll worker training opportunities, civic education workshops, election information sessions, and social media campaigns aimed at informing students about key issues and encouraging them to vote.
Other New Jersey institutions honored with the seal include Middlesex College in Edison—the only other community college in the state—as well as Rutgers-New Brunswick, Ramapo College in Mahwah, Montclair State University, and The College of New Jersey in Ewing. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge developed a guide to help campuses design comprehensive action plans; schools are evaluated using a rubric based on this guide. To earn the Highly Established Action Plan Seal, institutions must score at least 31.5 out of a possible 36 points.
“Colleges and universities have a responsibility to prepare students to engage meaningfully in our nation’s democracy,” said Jennifer Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “We are proud to recognize Raritan Valley Community College for developing and implementing a comprehensive, data-informed campus action plan that empowers the next generation of voters.”
The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge currently works with more than 9.8 million students at over 960 institutions across all states and Washington D.C., helping colleges institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning and voter participation.
