Montgomery County Community College wants more than 60% of its students to vote in the 2026 midterm election, and a national organization just recognized the Blue Bell campus for having a plan to get there.
MCCC earned the Highly Established Action Plan Seal from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for the 2026 election cycle, scoring 28.4 out of 32 points on a rubric evaluating leadership, commitment, goals and strategy, according to an MCCC announcement published in The Reporter on Aug. 17. The college is one of only 233 campuses nationally to earn the designation so far this cycle.
The Blue Bell campus sits in Whitpain Township and serves students from across the Whitemarsh, Plymouth and Whitpain area.
Five goals for November
MCCC's action plan for the midterms sets five targets:
- Push the student voting rate above 60%.
- Raise student voter registration above 65%.
- Lift registration and turnout among students in underserved communities and those who identify as BIPOC above 2018 midterm levels.
- Hire a dedicated employee to develop and run civic engagement initiatives.
- Maintain MCCC's standing as one of Pennsylvania's most civically engaged two-year institutions.
"As a public institution, it's very important to provide these initiatives for our students," chief of staff Michael Bettinger said in the announcement.
Bettinger described the action plan as a living document updated each year and said the college partners with external organizations for nonpartisan voter registration efforts and education.
Track record
The seal is the latest in a string of voter-engagement awards MCCC has collected since joining ALL IN in 2019. The college earned Gold Campus Awards for the 2018 and 2022 midterms, held the highest student voting rate and highest voter registration rate among Pennsylvania community colleges in 2020, and was named the 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting.
ALL IN is a nonpartisan initiative of Civic Nation, a 501(c)(3) that currently engages 10.8 million students at more than 1,075 institutions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
On-campus outreach
The Montgomery County Voter Services Mobile Outreach Van has visited the Blue Bell campus as part of the college's partnership with external organizations for voter registration drives. All outreach is conducted on a nonpartisan basis, according to MCCC.
No specific fall 2026 registration event dates have been announced yet.
