Democracy Cup

Minnesota's Democracy Cup is the statewide collegiate voter turnout competition. Every two years, your campus and campuses across Minnesota compete against one another to achieve the highest percentage of voting of those eligible to vote. The Democracy Cup fosters a concerted campus effort-- through friendly competition and a burst of civic-mindedness-- to get your student body out to vote.  

Whether your campus is two-year, four-year, public, or private, this competition will help increase voter registration and voter turnout where you are and on campuses throughout the state.  

This effort is supported by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, LeadMN​ (student association for public two-year colleges), Students United (student association for four-year state universities), Minnesota Student Association (student government for the University of Minnesota), Minnesota Association of Private College Students, and the All In Campus Democracy Challenge (a great resource for developing a campus voter engagement plan).

Winners are determined by the college and university voting rate according to the National Student for Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) at Tufts University. The NSLVE is the largest study of student voter engagement with over 1,100 colleges and universities enrolled and has been tracking voting data since 2012.

No Sign-Up Needed (but we are here to help)!

• We will be working with your administration on sharing NSLVE data on campus voter turnout, so you don't have to worry about it. Your job is to get people registered, educated, and GET OUT THE VOTE! (And it's our job to help you do that, so let us know how we can support you with ideas, resources, community partnerships, and moral support.)  Reach out at any time with questions, for resources, or for help brainstorming.

2022 Results [ANNOUNCEMENT EVENT VIDEO FROM SEPTEMBER 26, 2024.]

• The 4-year public state university with the highest voter turnout was Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall with 44.5% of eligible students voting.
• The 4-year public university with the highest voter turnout was University of Minnesota, Twin Cities with 52%  of eligible students voting.
• The 2-year public college with the highest voter turnout was Pine Technical and Community College in Pine City with 48.3%  of eligible students voting. 
• The 4-year private college with the highest voter turnout was St. Olaf College in Northfield with 67.6% of eligible students voting. 

2020 Results

• The 4-year public state university with the highest voter turnout was Winona State University with 73.8% of its students voting. 
• The 4-year public university with the highest voter turnout was the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities with 80.6% of its students voting. 
• The 2-year public college with the highest voter turnout was Inver Hills Community College with 71.8% of its students voting. 
• The 4-year private college with the highest voter turnout was St. Olaf College with 87.6% of its students voting.