Youth Voter Apathy and Why it Matters

As Election Day approaches, both presidential campaigns are battling to address the needs of college students and gain their votes, particularly in swing states. According to last week’s Gallup poll on the demographics of the voting population, President Barack Obama has the lead among young registered voters aged 18-29 by at least twenty-six percent.
When it comes down to certainty of voting, however, only sixty-three percent in comparison to at least eighty percent of voters in every older age group are planning on voting when the day comes. Although discussion about the looming election is prevalent throughout campus, the question of whether Connecticut College students will be at the voting booth on November 6 remains uncertain.
The beginning of this year marked a new goal for the junior class president, Tim Kast, and sophomore class president, Will Pisano: to get every sophomore and junior registered to vote.
In the past couple of weeks, both have been outside of Harris asking other students to fill out New London voter registration forms. The recent tax referendum drew Conn students to vote on local policy, and Kast and Pisano are hoping a similar kind of momentum can spur people to vote in the general election.
The potential increase in young voter participation could play a significant role in determining the election. More than simply drawing voters to the polls, Kast believes that the registration drive is “also stimulating intellectual and political discussion on campus.”
Voter registration campaigns have traditionally been about more than numbers; they also address the need for an informed electorate. Kast and Pisano, along with other members of their respective class councils, plan on distributing pamphlets with information about each presidential candidate’s platform.
The two are also working with the Office of Volunteers for Community Service and Tracee Reiser, Associate Dean for Community Living. “It is always a core value of Connecticut College for students to be actively engaged in their local, national and global communities and being a registered voter and voting in the upcoming elections are rights and responsibilities for each and every member of this campus to sustain,” said Reiser.
The urgency of the registration drive may seem unwarranted considering that the media is saturated with coverage of both candidates, while Facebook is laden with the inevitable meme in response to all political missteps. But the aforementioned Gallup poll fourty-nine has 49 percent of all registered voters support President Obama and fourty-five percent of registered voters support Mitt Romney; eighty-two percent of the total state that they will definitely vote.
Eighteen percent of registered voters polled are not certain they will vote. Add that amount to the number of people not registered to vote, and you have a huge population of people who are not participating in this year’s election.
Trust in the federal government has declined considerably in the past few decades and the lack of voter turnout is indicative of this sentiment. Connecticut College students have considered strategies that can be used to counter the indifference that many potential voters experience.
According to Pisano, “If you can give people a reason to vote, that plays a huge part in countering the apathy towards the electoral process. If you think your voice can make a difference, you’re more likely to go out and have your voice be heard.”
The registration drive will continue for the next few weeks leading up to the election. One of the initiatives that Kast and Pisano have taken on is informing students at Connecticut College that they are eligible to vote in New London. People registered in New London can also vote in the Connecticut senatorial race on Election Day. However, students who want to vote in the senatorial race of their home state must register by mail.
According to Reiser, OVCS also plays a large role in facilitating this registration drive; “Students can register anytime between 8:30 am and 6:00 pm in the OVCS Office in Cro. All groups return completed registration forms to OVCS, the OVCS staff checks them thoroughly and periodically I bring them to the Registrar of Voters office in New London to insure there are no questions about the forms.”
Considering the striking statistics, the lack of voter turnout and registered voters could lead to an election decided by only a small portion of the country. However, the work of these students as well as OVCS, and of the many students working all over the country in registration drives still has the potential to influence these daunting statistics. As Kast says, “There’s no reason for us not to vote.”