The BadgersVote Coalition is an initiative by the University of Wisconsin–Madison that aims to equip UW–Madison students with the knowledge and resources necessary to be active participants in democracy. The BadgersVote Coalition is comprised of many individuals, units and departments across campus and the City of Madison.
This webpage highlights the BadgersVote Coalition, which is not to be confused with vote.wisc.edu, UW–Madison’s resource for voter information. Visit vote.wisc.edu for information on voter registration, voter ID requirements and upcoming elections.
Get involved
Join the BadgersVote Coalition
For more information on how to get involved with the BadgersVote Coalition as a member of the UW–Madison campus community, send us an email.
You can also email us if you have questions or concerns relating to voting.
Bring BadgersVote to your organization
Looking to learn about civic engagement? The BadgersVote Coalition offers free voter education presentations for campus groups and student organizations.
Learn the basics of government, how to register to vote and all about voter IDs with BadgersVote. Fill out this form to request an educational presentation for your organization.
Our members and partners
BadgersVote Student Team
The BadgersVote Team is a group of dedicated and passionate student interns working to mobilize and educate students about the importance of voting at UW–Madison.
Madison City Clerk's Office
The Madison City Clerk's Office provides insight on upcoming elections, voter registration and election rules, ensuring voter engagement efforts by the BadgersVote Coalition use accurate and up-to-date information and practices
UW–Madison staff and faculty
John Zumbrunnen is the current faculty co-chair of the BadgersVote Coalition. Staff from the Office of Strategic Communication, Student Affairs, and more campus groups work together on the BadgersVote Coalition to institutionalize student voting.
Our metrics and commitments
UW–Madison joins universities across the country in engaging students and institutionalizing voting on campus.
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UW–Madison's voter turnout and registration statistics
The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) offers colleges and universities an opportunity to learn their student registration and voting rates. UW–Madison has joined more than 1,000 campuses across all 50 states in participating in NSLVE. This study is the first and only to objectively examine student and institution-level data on student voting and share this data with participating campuses.
Find detailed information on voter registration and turnout at UW–Madison below.
2016 and 2018 UW–Madison NSLVE Report
2014 and 2018 UW–Madison NSLVE Report
Our commitment to improving democratic engagement
The ALL IN Democracy Challenge recognizes postsecondary campuses committed to improving democratic engagement, increasing student voter participation rates, and graduating students with a lifelong commitment to being informed and active citizens.
In 2016, UW–Madison became one of more than 575 other colleges and universities around the country that committed to the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
Following the 2022 midterm elections, UW–Madison was recognized as a “Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting” by ALL IN.
In the spring of 2023, UW–Madison student Laine Bottemiller was recognized as a part of ALL IN’s Student Voting Honor Roll.
UW–Madison is a current participant in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
We are a Voter Friendly Campus
The Voter Friendly Campus initiative, led by national nonpartisan organizations Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project (CVP) and Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), held participating institutions accountable for planning and implementing practices that encourage their students to register and vote in elections.
In 2021, UW–Madison joined 200 campuses in 37 states and the District of Columbia designated as a “Voter Friendly Campus.”
Read our 2020 Voter Friendly Campus Report.
UW–Madison earned the Voter Friendly Campus designation again for the 2023-24 school year.
Competing with other Big Ten schools
The Big Ten Voting Challenge helps to mobilize registration and turnout efforts at Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Voting Challenge is a nonpartisan initiative to encourage students to exercise their right to vote, which is among the most fundamental opportunities to be an active and engaged citizen.
UW–Madison joined the other Big Ten institutions in a new competition to promote civic engagement in 2018: the Big Ten Voting Challenge. Read the 2017 introductory letter from the presidents of Big Ten universities. Following the 2018 midterm elections, a national survey found student turnout at UW–Madison increased by nearly 18 percentage points in the 2018 midterm elections compared to 2014. University of Wisconsin–Madison students achieved the second-highest voter turnout among the 14 member institutions of the Big Ten Conference in the 2018 midterm elections, according to the newly announced results of the Big Ten Voting Challenge.
UW–Madison again joined the Big Ten Voting Challenge for the November 2020 presidential election. See the results of the 2020 Big Ten Voting Challenge.
The History of BadgersVote
The origins of the BadgersVote Coalition stretch back to 2013. The Morgridge Center for Public Service began emphasizing the importance of voting after the arrival of Kathy Cramer as the center’s new faculty director.
With Kathy as a driving force of civic engagement programming, the university created the BadgersVote Coalition after UW–Madison participated in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge in 2016. As a member of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, UW joined 575 higher education institutions across the nation to promote student voter engagement.
The BadgersVote Coalition is a non-partisan, educational initiative of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, whose mission is to equip students with the knowledge and resources necessary to be active participants in democracy.
For more information on Wisconsin elections and voting, visit the Wisconsin Elections Commission.