Engage the Vote Championship Overview

The California University and College Engage the Vote Championship is a 10-week tournament where California higher education campuses compete to achieve the highest combined percentage of students who register to vote and submit a plan to vote. The California Secretary of State Students Vote Project hosts the tournament during even numbered years leading up to the statewide primary election.

Who Can Participate?

• Eligible campuses include:
  • 118 California Community Colleges (CCC)
  • 22 California State Universities (CSU)
  • 10 University of California campuses (UC)
  • 86 Independent California Colleges and Universities (ICCU)

How to Play

Tournament Structure

The Engage the Vote Championship begins on Monday, March 23, 2026 – Tuesday, June 2, 2026.

• Qualifying Period: Monday, March 23, 2026 – Monday, May 18, 2026

  • The first eight weeks of the tournament is known as the Qualifying Period. All California colleges and universities compete to maximize the percentage of students who register to vote and submit a plan to vote.

  • At the end of Qualifying Period, the top four campuses, one from each higher education system, with the highest combined percentage of college student voter registrations and submitted plans to vote are placed into the Playoffs bracket.

• Playoffs: Tuesday, May 19, 2026 – Tuesday, June 2, 2026

  • The final two weeks of the tournament are known as the Playoffs. Campuses compete for the highest percentage of submitted plans to vote.

  • The Playoffs have two elimination rounds and percentages reset at the start of every round. During each round, two campuses are paired against each other to compete in a single elimination matchup. The campus with the higher percentage of submitted plans to vote at the end of a round, advances to the Championship Round.

• Championship Round: Tuesday, May 26, 2026 – Tuesday, June 2, 2026

  • The last week of the Playoffs is the Championship Round.

  • The final two campuses face off in the last round of the tournament. Only one campus will be crowned the winner.

Below is a sample bracket to show how campuses will be paired in the Playoffs.

How to Participate

California colleges and universities can participate in the Engage the Vote Championship by registering students to vote and having students submit a plan to vote. See the two ways below to learn more about how your campus can participate in the competition.

1. College Student Voter Registration

• Online voter registration

  • Register to Vote (College Students)

• Paper voter registration

  • Paper voter registration cards (VRCs) can be requested by campuses from the California Secretary of State’s office. Please note on the Voter Registration Card Statement of Distribution Form that you are requesting cards for college students and include the campus name.

  • Email completed Voter Registration Card Statement of Distribution Forms to vrc-vnc@sos.ca.gov and caststudentsvote@sos.ca.gov.

  • If you have any questions about requesting paper voter registration cards, please contact vrc-vnc@sos.ca.gov and copy caststudentsvote@sos.ca.gov.

2. College Student Voting Plan Submission

• Online College Student Voting Plan Tool

  • The College Student Voting Plan Tool is an online form that can be used to create and submit a plan to vote for the upcoming statewide election. This form should be completed during the dates of the tournament.

Track Your Campus’s Progress

You can check your campus’s progress in the tournament by visiting https://collegehub.sos.ca.gov.