Clearinghouse Severs Relationship With Student Voting Study

"The study, the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, creates campus-by-campus reports about how much of their student body participated in a given election, as well as broader reports about voting trends among college students. NSLVE researchers do this using data provided by the clearinghouse that matches enrollment records to public voting records. (The data is de-identified before NSLVE receives it.)"

"Civic engagement advocates laud the project-which began in response to an Obama-era call for colleges to promote democratic engagement among their students-as an important resource in understand how college students engage in the electoral process. But in early February, the Department of Education said it was investigating whether the clearinghouse and the study were violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act."

"Now, less than a month later, the clearinghouse has apparently ended its relationship with NSLVE, according to an email from the clearinghouse to the roughly 1,000 institutions that participate in the study. The email states that the clearinghouse will be terminating its Participation Authorization Form-a form that institutions sign to allow the organization to use their data for NSLVE-by the end of the month."

The National Student Clearinghouse terminated its relationship with the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE), a research project at Tufts University that analyzed college student voting participation. The study matched enrollment records to public voting records to produce campus-specific and national reports on student electoral engagement. The Department of Education launched a FERPA investigation in early February, questioning whether the clearinghouse and study violated student privacy laws. The investigation also warned that participating institutions could face violations. Within weeks, the clearinghouse notified approximately 1,000 participating institutions of the termination, ending the Participation Authorization Form by month's end. The clearinghouse stated it takes FERPA obligations seriously and maintains compliance with federal requirements.

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