For the first time in school history, the Campus Cup resides in Provo.
The Campus Cup, hosted by the office of Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson, is a state-wide competition that pits Utah’s colleges and universities against each other to register the greatest percentage of voters. Henderson presented the award to six BYU students representing the Office of Civic Engagement at the Capitol in Salt Lake City earlier this week.
To win the competition, BYU students created and organized several projects during the recent election cycle to educate and inspire the campus community about the voting process. Students worked at voter registration tables on campus and encouraged other students to register to vote using a unique URL that tracked registrations from each university. In total, these efforts helped more than 1,300 students register.
“I worked at the voter registration table on campus and many students approached us and were genuinely interested in registering to vote,” said BYU political science student Sarah Quesenberry. “Civic engagement is not exclusive to political scientists. It’s for everyone because politics affect everyone.”
BYU students also partnered with the Utah County Elections Division to host an educational open house centered on election security. The public was invited to tour the ballot center and learn about signature verification, election security and fraud prevention. Sydney Ward, a BYU public relations student from Salem, Utah, said this was the most effective way to help students resolve voting concerns.
“I was impressed to see the power that a single conversation could have on students who were curious about elections,” she said. “At the end of the day, our elections are run by people who believe wholeheartedly in the process, and we were able to share that passion with students.”
BYU students traveled to the Capitol building to meet with and accept the award from Lieutenant Governor Henderson, who congratulated them and listened intently as they presented their experiences and learnings from the competition. The cup will remain in Provo for two years until the 2024 election cycle.
“I put everything I could into this project,” said Madi Schlesinger, BYU political science student from Springdale, Arkansas. “BYU had never participated in the competition before. It shows that BYU has a lot to offer in terms of being civically engaged.”
And while winning the Cup and meeting with the Lieutenant Governor reaffirmed each student’s commitment to furthering civic engagement efforts, they say they’ll cherish the friendships they built and the sense of belonging they developed by being part of the team and representing BYU.
“I found belonging with those who I worked alongside," noted Quesenberry. "It's enjoyable to work towards something important with great people."
Under the direction of BYU political science professor Dr. Quin Monson, the BYU Office of Civic Engagement provides students and faculty with the appropriate skills and meaningful opportunities to become engaged in their respective communities. Visit the Office of Civic Engagement site to learn about BYU’s civic engagement minor and to see upcoming events.
