The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge in partnership with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), The Team, and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) is providing nonpartisan civic learning, voter education, registration, and turnout tools and resources to support the engagement of college athletics in the democratic process. Within this resource hub, we encourage college coaches to engage in the following capacities to share nonpartisan voter engagement resources with student-athletes throughout the year:
- Provide student-athletes with nonpartisan opportunities to register to vote.
- Support student-athlete participation with Civic Holidays such as National Voter Registration Day on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
- Encourage other coaches and athletic department colleagues to join the effort.
Coaches’ Voter Engagement Resources
- Learn more about the NCAA regulations
- Check out the Coaches' Voter Engagement Playbook
- Sign-up for the ALL IN Newsletter
Follow the drop down menu options below for more information.
NCAA Regulations
Both Division I (DI) and Division II (DII) institutions are required by the NCAA to give student-athletes a day off to participate in civic engagement activities. These requirements provide an opening for coaches to connect with student leaders and staff engaged in nonpartisan civic engagement work to help prepare their student-athletes for life long civic engagement.
Since 2020, with revisions in 2022, the NCAA Division I Council has required that student-athletes get a day off from athletic related activities to participate in civic engagement activities and programming within 15 days before or after the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November (November 3, 2026). Additionally, DI institutions are required to develop civic engagement policies that address how student-athletes can become civically engaged in conjunction with coaches, athletic staff, and student-athletes themselves. This NCAA policy seeks to ensure that student-athletes are given the resources and opportunities to engage in nonpartisan civic engagement activities. See the specific requirements here (pg 1).
Similar to the DI legislation, the DIICouncil has adopted legislation that athletically related activities are prohibited on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November (November 3, 2026), regardless of whether they are in or out-of-season in order for student-athletes to engage in civic engagement activities. Specific guidance as to what classifies as civic engagement activities for Division II institutions can be found here (pg 17).
ALL IN alongside athletic partners is committed to supporting collegiate athletic coaches and their student-athletes with nonpartisan resources year-round. The first step athletic personnel can take is signing onto the 2026 Coaches’ Pledge. This makes the commitment to supporting their players with being civically engaged.
Coaches’ Voter Engagement Playbook
The Coaches’ Voter Engagement Playbook was made available to support the engagement of student-athletes in the democratic engagement process. This nonpartisan resource guide continues to evolve to meet the needs of athletic coaches and student-athletes for the engagement in 2026 elections.
Coaches’ Voter Engagement Pledge
The Coaches’ Voter Registration and Engagement Pledge for the 2026 Elections is a program to support nonpartisan voter engagement efforts with your student-athletes who are eligible to vote. Coaches who sign this pledge will receive the playbook and resources, regional Task Force contact information and guidance on connecting with the civic engagement office on your campus.
ALL INsider Newsletter
Sign up for the ALL INsider to receive the playbook and other resources. This is a great option for individuals who are interested in learning about and supporting student voter engagement but not ready to make the Coaches; Voter Engagement Pledge or to serve on the Coaches’ Voter Engagement Task Force, at this time.Begin receiving the ALL INsider newsletter by completing this form and clicking “Subscribe to List” at the bottom of the form.
For more information about athletic conference votingchallenges organized by ALL IN, visit here.
The ALL IN team has developed a slate of graphics for Coaches to share their involvement with the Coaches Playbook. These images were. designed to fit Instagram’s recommended post size.
Any questions about the Coaches’ Voter Engagement Resources (playbook or process) can be directed to Joe Kennedy – Executive Director of The Team (joe@theteam.org) and Liv Antigua, Senior Program Manager at ALL IN (olivia.antigua@civicnation.org).
This initiative is a product of ALL IN, NABC Committee on Racial Reconciliation, The Team, and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.