News Room

SAINT PAUL — Today, Secretary of State Steve Simon announced the winners of the 2016 Minnesota College Ballot Bowl—the new voter registration competition where campuses across the state competed against one another over the course of several weeks leading up to the election to register the most students.

Minnesota College Ballot Bowl Winners:

• The University of Minnesota campus that registered the largest number of students is the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, which registered 8,417 students.
• The University of Minnesota campus that registered the largest percentage of its student body was University of Minnesota, Rochester, which registered 113 students, or 23 percent of its student body.
• The four-year Minnesota State University campus that registered the largest number of students and the largest percentage of its student body was Winona State University, which registered 1,861 students, or 24 percent of its student body.
• The campus in Minnesota’s Private Colleges that registered the largest number of students and the largest percentage of its student body was Gustavus Adolphus College, which registered 1,318 students, or 63 percent of its student body.

Secretary Simon will present student leaders at the respective campuses with an award in early 2017 after classes begin.

“Congratulations to the winners of the first ever Minnesota College Ballot Bowl,” said Secretary Simon. “Thanks to the hard work done by student leaders across the state more Minnesotans than ever before were registered to vote before Election Day, and Minnesota’s voter turnout of 74.72 percent is likely to be number one in the nation. It’s important we continue to get good habits started early with young Minnesotans and I look forward to working with campus leaders to find new and innovative ways to increase civic engagement.”

Sixty-eight campuses participated throughout the state, including two- and four-year public and private colleges and universities. This number includes all the two-year Minnesota State colleges thanks to a partnership with Minnesota State College Student Association (MSCSA), the association that helps coordinate student government and voter outreach at those colleges. The competition officially began the first day of classes and ran through October 18, the pre-registration deadline.

MSCSA conducted their own Voter Cup, a biennial tradition that recognizes two community and technical college campuses for pledging students to vote, and announced the winners last week. The campus that pledged the highest number of students was Century College. The campus that pledged the highest percentage of students was Minnesota West Pipestone.

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The full list of colleges and universities that participated in the 2016 Minnesota College Ballot Bowl:

Alexandria Technical & Community College
Anoka Technical College
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Cambridge
Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids
Bemidji State University
Bethel University
Central Lakes College Brainerd
Central Lakes College Staples
Century College
College of Saint Benedict/ Saint John's University
College of St. Scholastica
Concordia College, Moorhead
Dakota County Technical College
Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamline University
Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park
Hennepin Technical College Eden Prairie
Hibbing Community College
Inver Hills Community College
Itasca Community College
Lake Superior College
Mesabi Range College Eveleth
Mesabi Range College Virginia
Metropolitan State University
Minneapolis Community & Technical College
Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical Red Wing
Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical Winona
Minnesota State Community & Technical College Detroit Lakes
Minnesota State Community & Technical College Fergus
Minnesota State Community & Technical College Wadena
Minnesota State Community &Technical College Moorhead
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota West Community & Technical College Canby
Minnesota West Community & Technical College Granite Falls
Minnesota West Community & Technical College Jackson
Minnesota West Community & Technical College Luverne (Site)
Minnesota West Community & Technical College Pipestone
Minnesota West Community & Technical College Worthington
Normandale Community College
North Hennepin Community College
Northland Community & Technical College East Grand
Northland Community & Technical College Thief River
Northwest Technical College (Bemidji)
Pine Technical College
Rainy River Community College
Ridgewater College Hutchinson
Ridgewater College Willmar
Riverland Community College Albert Lea
Riverland Community College Austin
Riverland Community College Owatonna
Rochester Community & Technical College
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Saint Paul College
South Central College Faribault
South Central College North Mankato
Southwest Minnesota State University
St. Cloud State University
St. Cloud Technical & Community College
St. Olaf College
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
University of Minnesota, Duluth
University of Minnesota, Morris
University of Minnesota, Rochester
University of St. Thomas
Vermilion Community College
Winona State University