“Young adults have historically been the least represented population in national elections,” Domagal-Goldman said. “ALL IN was established to encourage young people to participate in our democracy by meeting them where they are: at colleges and universities.”
Specifically, ALL IN helps each participating campus register students to vote in all elections. For each campus, ALL IN implements a “Nonpartisan Campus Action Plan,” where they are encouraged to utilize the “Strengthening American Democracy: A Guide for Developing an Action Plan to Increase Civic Learning, Political Engagement, and Voter Participation Among College Students.” These steps outlined in the document call for campuses to create a team and develop a timeline.
On their website, ALL IN has example plans from traditional four-year universities, community colleges, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI), and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Within their planning guide, ALL IN also encourages the campuses’ goals to be “continuous” rather than having their work only occur during election years.
“We want students to register and vote in local, state, and national elections,” Domagal-Goldman said.
Domagal-Goldman also added that, according to their research, campuses partnered with ALL IN programming have a voter turnout rate that is an average of five percentage points higher compared to other campuses.
Within their broader connection with campuses, ALL IN also has other initiatives targeting specific students, like college athletes. For example, they have their Athletic Conference Voting Challenges, which target student athletes in 15 conferences.
“Their team was excellent to work with throughout the process, making it seamless and manageable for our small staff,” Commissioner of the Southern Athletic Association (SAA) Stacey LaDew said. “This collaboration has allowed us to foster meaningful dialogue and create impactful initiatives that resonate with our student-athletes, coaches, and administrators.”
ALL IN also has their Presidential Commitment initiative, which has college and university leaders “actively” commit toward the goal of full student participation in all elections. To date, according to ALL IN’s website, more than 775 college and university leaders have made this commitment.
“Campuses whose leaders have made this pledge consistently achieve higher voter turnout rates than other campuses,” Domagal-Goldman said in reference to the commitment.
Beyond voting, she also said they want students to participate in civic discourse on campus, see how decisions made by elected leaders impact their lives and more. Domagal-Goldman added that, each year, ALL IN awards “outstanding” students across the country on their Student Voting Honor Roll.
“We want students…to understand that civic engagement goes beyond just voting,” Domagal-Goldman said.
ALL IN recently named their 2025 class with honorees spanning from 41 states, representing 39 community colleges, 194 four-year universities, 44 HSIs, and eight HBCUs. Domagal-Goldman also added that this fall, they will be honoring awardees at a ceremony specifically for their accomplishments based on data from the 2024 election cycle.
“It’s one of my favorite things we do here at ALL IN,” Domagal-Goldman said in reference to the honor roll. “And I’m excited to see how these students continue our mission.”
Maggie Rhoads is a student journalist attending George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs. At The Fulcrum, she covers how legislation and policy are impacting communities.
Maggie was a cohort member in Common Ground USA's Journalism program, where Hugo Balta served as an instructor. Balta is the executive editor of the Fulcrum, and the publisher of the Latino News Network.
The Fulcrum is committed to nurturing the next generation of journalists. Learn more by clicking HERE.
The Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins until 2020, adopted their current name in 2022 following years of public pressure, corporate backlash, and advocacy from Native American groups. The original name was dropped amid a national reckoning over racial injustice, with major sponsors like FedEx and Nike urging the team to rebrand.
Trump’s latest remarks come as the team prepares to relocate from its current home in Landover, Maryland, to a new stadium at the site of the former RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., projected to open in 2030. The president suggested he would use his influence to halt the deal, stating, “I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington” unless the name is changed back.
“The president was serious,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters when asked about Trump’s new warning to block a proposed stadium.
The Commanders’ ownership has responded cautiously. Managing partner Josh Harris previously stated, “For obvious reasons the old name can’t come back,” but emphasized efforts to honor the team’s heritage through throwback uniforms and branding.
Trump also called on Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians to revert to their former name, the Cleveland Indians—another move that has reignited a long-standing debate over Native American imagery in sports.
The Cleveland franchise officially adopted the Guardians name in 2021 following years of criticism from Native American groups and activists who viewed the “Indians” name and the “Chief Wahoo” mascot as culturally insensitive. The rebranding was part of a broader assesment in American sports, spurred by the social justice movements that followed the death of George Floyd.
Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti responded calmly to Trump’s remarks, saying the team is focused on building its brand and is “excited about the future”.
Trump’s post on Truth Social claimed there is “a big clamoring” for the team to restore its original name, asserting that “our great Indian people, in massive numbers, want this to happen” and that their “heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away”.
Native American organizations swiftly condemned Trump’s comments. The Native American Rights Fund called the remarks “a distraction from the real harm this administration continues to inflict on Native Peoples,” adding that such mascots “reduce us to caricatures”.
Despite Trump’s claims, recent studies and statements from tribal leaders suggest otherwise. A 2020 survey found that at least half of Native Americans polled were offended by the Washington Commanders' former name.
Native-themed mascots often rely on caricatured imagery: feathered headdresses, exaggerated war cries, and stylized depictions of tribal warriors. These portrayals distort reality and reduce diverse Indigenous cultures to monolithic, outdated tropes.
Many team names and logos were created during eras with little regard for Indigenous sovereignty or representation. This historical context matters — using Native identities without consent perpetuates the power imbalance established during colonization.
"Native Americans are not mascots, nor should our cultures be misappropriated as such. Race or ethnic-themed mascots or school nicknames perpetuate the stereotypes and racism that harm Native and non-Native students," Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, statement to Guilford Public Schools.
“It’s very difficult to live in a world that thinks you don’t exist except in the context of these mascots," said Madison Eagle, a specialist of Cherokee heritage with the Multicultural Center’s Native American and Indigenous Student Initiatives.
As the debate intensifies, the Commanders and Guardians remain firm in their current identity.
Critics accuse Trump's flurry of wide-ranging posts on his social media of trying to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein files controversy.
Hugo Balta is the executive editor of the Fulcrum and the publisher of the Latino News Network.
U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, Washington, DC. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
