Voter turnout high
18-to-24 group registration up to 47 percent
By Shayna Strang, contributing writer
Posted on November 6, 2006

Voter participation from ages 18 to 29 was at its highest rate in over a decade after the 2004 presidential election, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. With the national youth voter turnout rate for presidential elections up to 47 percent, this year’s midterm election may see the largest outcome of youth voters since 1994.

Organizations on campus like OrangeBand and the SGA made significant efforts to get students to vote during the 2004 presidential campaign. Research has shown young citizens vote at a lower rate than older citizens, so debates, forums and other events were held to encourage voting.

“I remember SGA’s table on the commons. They reminded me to get an absentee ballot,” junior Kelly Christian said.

These little reminders seem to be necessary around election time with a lot of students focusing on school, activities and jobs. This year’s election appears to have less coverage on campus when compared to 2004. While SGA placed tables on the commons again, there were fewer organization events than before.

“There’s not as much effort for students this year,” junior Elizabeth Montgomery said.

Some say candidates aren’t making efforts, either. Candidates don’t regularly visit colleges for midterm elections, which can cause students to lose interest, political science professor Robert N. Roberts said. This may be because presidential elections generally receive more attention and votes than midterm elections, according to CIRCLE.

But this attitude may be changing, according to a recent article in The Washington Post.

Campaigners are beginning to invest in new staff and technology to get the youth vote because of the recent participation increase, according to the article.

Students may not pay much attention to midterm elections because many are from states other than Virginia, SGA Sen. Jamie Lockhart (Jr.) said. For many students it seems easier to connect on a national level rather than local.

“Presidential elections get more attention on campus because they unite students,” Lockhart said.

Location and time aren’t the only factors that affect the youth vote. This year’s campaigns have also influenced many students on voting.

“All the focus was taken off of what’s important,” said Tyler Burton, president of the JMU Chapter of OrangeBand.

By concentrating more on personal attacks than the issues, students may feel frustrated or disconnected when they try to get involved.

“Negativity can lead to apathy, especially among young voters,” Roberts said.
 
Students need to know they matter, Christian said. Through campus events, students who are away from home for the first time or don’t have voting experience are able to feel involved and are shown how to vote. When taking a trip home to vote isn’t an option, students need to know of the alternatives on campus.

The most common method of voting for students tends to be the absentee ballot. SGA has made efforts to simplify this process by setting up tables during each election to give students the ability to request an absentee ballot.

SGA will mail the ballot request forms; all the student has to do is mail the ballot before the deadline, which varies from state to state.

Students can also request an in-person absentee. Other students, like Montgomery, registered in Harrisonburg so they wouldn’t have to fill out forms every year. Some students just chose not to vote.

Not voting seemed to be the general trend from 1982 to 2002 with the low youth voter turnouts seen during midterm elections, according to CIRCLE.

With the recent participation increase, candidates hope the estimated 41.9 million eligible voters between 18 and 29 will run to the polls this year.