Hemenway Award recipient Maddie Souser recognized by ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for voter engagement efforts

May 12, 2025 - Features

by Jackson DeAndrea | Strategic Communications Coordinator

Maddie Souser (center) was recognized by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge for her work with the KU Civic Engagement Leadership Council, which included fellow Jayhawks Banrosy Kimpoumboudi (left) and Bridger Scott (right). Photo by Kenna McNally.

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) has recognized Maddie Souser, a senior from Lansing, in the 2024 Student Voting Honor Roll, which recognizes students at participating campuses who have gone above and beyond to advance nonpartisan student voter registration, education, and turnout efforts in their communities. Souser was recognized for her leadership on the KU Civic Engagement Leadership Council, which organizes Civic Engagement and Leadership Month, a monthlong civic engagement and voter registration effort on the Lawrence campus.

“Chancellor Girod, Kate Kemper of the KU Center for Service Learning, and I were united in endorsing Maddie for this recognition,” said Dr. Barbara Ballard, the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics’ Associate Director, who formally nominated Souser for the recognition. “Her exemplary leadership commitment to civic engagement and hard work earned her this honor.”

“Finding out that I was named to the ALL IN 2024 Voting Honor Roll was incredibly exciting,” said Souser. “I’m truly honored to represent the University of Kansas and our civic engagement efforts on a national level.”

Since 2016, the University of Kansas has participated in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a nation-wide program that empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student civic engagement. The Dole Institute and the KU Center for Service Learning  have collaborated to produce an action plan to institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning, voter participation, and ongoing engagement in our democracy at the university’s Lawrence campus.

Souser currently studies political science and environmental studies. She will be serving as a monitor and planning intern at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment after graduating this spring, and later intends to earn a juris doctorate.

Throughout her time at KU, she has been a member of the undergraduate Mock Trial Team, previously serving on the organization’s executive board. She recently traveled to Cleveland to participate in the team’s first nationals’ appearance in eight years.

She also is a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, and the KU Young Democrats. Souser also serves as a Student Ambassador for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and as a Resident Assistant for KU Housing & Residence Life. Outside of the university, Maddie has interned for Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s office, Kansas State Representative Mari-Lynn Poskin (D-Leawood), and the Climate and Energy Project.

In spring 2024, Maddie was named the recipient of the Dole Institute’s Robert Hemenway Public Service Award. Named in honor of the 16^th chancellor of the University of Kansas, the award recognizes a junior who has demonstrated a commitment to making a difference for KU students, and furthering the idea of service on campus and within the community.

“Serving on the KU Civic Engagement and Leadership Council showed me just how much KU students value having a platform to get involved in democracy and civic leadership,” said Souser. “It took a lot of effort to coordinate voter registration tabling, civic engagement programming, and outreach, but it was absolutely worthwhile to see firsthand how student-led civic engagement can make a real impact on campus.”

Souser joins over 230 students who were honored for their work during the 2024 election cycle. More information about this year’s honorees and the ALL IN program can be found on their website.

Jackson DeAndrea is Strategic Communications Coordinator for the Dole Institute of Politics, overseeing the Institute’s marketing and communications. Prior to that, Jackson was an Administrative Associate, and a Student Archive Assistant in the Robert and Elizabeth Dole Archives and Special Collections. Jackson is an alumnus of the University of Kansas and was a member of the Dole Institute’s Student Advisory Board.

About the Dole Institute
Inspired by the leadership legacies of Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole, and the enduring civic contributions of the Greatest Generation, the Dole Institute of Politics strives to promote a new era of leadership that uses politics to bring people together through opportunities that emphasize bipartisan cooperation, public service, and civic education and engagement.