Austin Community College District Wins Free Concert For Students
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 9, 2024 // Core partners in the Community College Concert Competition today revealed Jessie Murph as the headlining artist for its first-ever Vote Early concert, which will take place on October 24, 2024 in partnership with the Austin Community College District (ACC). ACC was selected out of nearly 150 community colleges nationwide that entered to win the on-campus concert by creating and implementing comprehensive nonpartisan voter engagement plans that included hosting registration, education, and mobilization events.
Despite recent gains, community colleges – whose students accounted for roughly one-third of U.S. postsecondary students in 2020 – saw a national voting rate nearly 10 percentage points lower than four-year universities in the last presidential election. In an effort to close this voting gap, Levi’s® and SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios (MTV) partnered with the Students Learn Students Vote (SLSV) Coalition, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN), and Good Trouble Collaborative to launch the non-partisan Community College Concert Competition.
“I’m so excited to join the Community College Concert Competition and support such an important cause. Can’t wait to see everyone at the show!” said Jessie Murph.
Community colleges had a five-month window, between April and September, to host qualified voter engagement events and submit the nonpartisan democratic engagement plans necessary to be entered for a chance to win the on-campus concert. Specific requirements to enter the competition included:
- Signing up for Campus Takeover, a nationwide effort to mobilize students around elections, and committing to celebrating National Voter Registration Day AND at least one other Civic Holiday.
- Joining the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge and submitting a 2024 nonpartisan democratic engagement action plan.
“Voting is one of the most powerful ways to make your voice heard and help shape the future of the community. ACC is committed to providing nonpartisan resources to support the community in participating in decisions that impact our lives. Every voice matters,” said Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, ACC Chancellor. “It is an honor to be selected as the winner of this concert. It celebrates the spirit of bringing together voices to create something remarkable.”


“We are so grateful to Jessie for lending her time and voice to help increase voter engagement on community college campuses. As part of a broader campaign to reach a critical but often forgotten demographic of young voters, this concert is a key piece of the Community College Commitment’s effort to ensure that as many Americans as possible are empowered to take part in our democracy through their voice and their vote,” said Alexis Bechtol, Director of Community Affairs, Levi Strauss & Co.
“We’re honored to be working with Jessie Murph again so soon after her electrifying 2024 VMAs performance. As a committed voter, Jessie is an inspiration to thousands of young people who are going to the polls this year to make their voices heard,” said Vaughan Bagley, Director of Social Impact for SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios. “Austin Community College students put in significant work to win this competition, and we know they are so excited to welcome Jessie to their community and celebrate the importance of early voting together. The countdown to October 24th has officially begun!”
“We’re seeing the power of pop culture in the democratic process in 2024,” said Laurie Spivak, Executive Director of Good Trouble Collaborative. “The Concert Competition inspired civic engagement on community college campuses nationwide and will help to turnout young, diverse, and under-represented student voters.”
“More community colleges have engaged in our programs this year than in any year since our founding in 2016, thanks in large part to the Community College Concert Competition and the support provided through the Community College Commitment,” said SLSV Coalition Co-founder and Executive Director Clarissa Unger. “We couldn’t be prouder to support more than 150 community colleges and hundreds more universities throughout the country as they celebrate and encourage democratic participation.”


“Nearly 150 community colleges are ALL IN to vote, and we’re so proud of the ways these schools showed up in the Community College Concert Competition, including Challenge winner and ALL IN campus Austin Community College District. We’re excited to continue celebrating the essential work of community colleges dedicated to registering and turning out voters by taking this momentum from the stage to the ballot box this November,” said Jen Domagal-Goldman, Executive Director of ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.
“Community college students across the country represent a core part of FLOOD Magazine’s readership, and this is a perfect opportunity to engage them in a meaningful way around the importance of voting and voter registration. MTV and Levi’s are incredible partners to join forces with on a unique and fun initiative to inspire civic engagement with an important part of our country’s present and future,” said Randy Bookasta, FLOOD Publisher and Editor in Chief.
The concert, hosted in partnership with Austin Community College District, will be fully funded by Levi’s® and MTV. The other institutions that entered the competition have the chance to win additional exciting events in support of their nonpartisan student voter engagement efforts. Learn more about the concert competition here.