The Independent View: How College Campuses Are Trying to Tap Students’ Voting Power

Corey Walker checked his voter registration during a “Bagels and Ballots” event at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Credit Laura McDermott for The New York Times

Interesting article by Farah Stockman, a Pulitzer Prize winning Reporter in the New York Times.

The University of Michigan has a long tradition of Politically Active Students, dating back to the Vietnam War Protests. That is why Edie Goldenberg, a Political-Science Professor there, was shocked to learn the Percentage of Students at the School who cast Ballots in the last Midterm Election: just 14%.

“It was a wake-up call,” Dr. Goldenberg said. “Nobody realized that so few students were turning out to vote.”

Dr. Goldenberg has now set a Goal for this November’s Elections of more than doubling Student Turnout. And the University itself is getting behind the effort by challenging its Big Ten Football Rivals to a Competition to see which School can get more Students to Vote in the Midterms.

College Campuses are often seen as hotbeds of Political Engagement, with Controversial Speakers routinely kicking up loud Protests.

But abysmally Low Turnout among Young People has long been a Hallmark of American Elections, particularly in Midterm Years. Data suggests that only 18% Voted in 2014, compared with about 37% in the overall Population.

Now a growing number of Universities are using their Institutional Power to Increase Student Turnout on their Campuses, spurred by a desire to develop Students into better Citizens. And Schools like the University of Michigan are Armed with Data showing them for the first time which kinds of Students are Voting and which are not, so they can Target their Efforts and Measure which Strategies work.

Looking ahead to this Fall, Colleges and Students are beginning to Plan Activities to bolster their Voting Rates.

At Arizona State University, Staff are hoping to hire Musicians to perform for Students waiting in line to Vote to generate excitement around the Election.

Mercer University in Georgia has changed its Online Portal so that Students who are Registering for Classes Online can also Register to Vote through TurboVote.

East Tennessee State University has never won a Football Championship in the Southern Conference. But in October, in a Ceremony on the Football Field, the School received a Trophy for most Improved Turnout. The Victory came after the School held 30 Civic Events, including a Voter Registration Party featuring a Bluegrass Band, Political Quizzes and a Photo Booth where Students dressed up as Uncle Sam. Voting Rates rose from 38% in 2012 to 47% in 2016.

Now Nathan Farnor, a Senior at the School, has been hired temporarily by the University to increase Student Interest in the coming Midterms. In a County where just 27,612 People Cast Ballots in 2014, the School’s 15,000 Students could hold a lot of sway if they turned out to Vote. “A lot of people don’t participate in midterm elections, because they don’t see what the point is,” Mr. Farnor said. But “if students really wanted to campaign, they definitely have a lot of bargaining power.”

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