What would the young, ethnic minority voting bloc look like if more minority serving institutions (MSIs) became polling sites for local and national elections?
Using polling data from 2012 and 2016 presidential elections along with research on trends pertaining to young, ethnic minority voters, the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions recently published a report exploring the potential affects MSIs can play in deciding state and national elections. According to Pew Research Center data analysis of Census Bureau data, Millennials made up 25% of votes casted in the 2016 presidential election, and for the first time in American history, Baby Boomers and older Americans were no longer the majority of the voting bloc.
Despite the increase of young voter participation, millennials (adults from ages 18—35) have the lowest voter turnout of 46%. Given that young, ethnic minority voters are the least likely to show up to the polls, coupled with the fact that MSIs disproportionately educate this population, the report examines the potential MSIs have for increasing the turnout of the populations they serve.
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), in particular, were created to educate and empower Black and Native American students during a time when their postsecondary education opportunities were limited in some areas, and prohibited in others. While other institutions are considered MSIs based on their proportion of low-income, ethnic minorities on their campuses, these institutions are likely to have a commitment of educating and empowering the communities that they serve as well. Broadly, MSIs have been shown to be committed to promoting civic engagement, creating more inclusive environments, and graduating more ethnic minorities.
Based on voting data of previous elections, it is widely accepted that those who are college educated vote in higher proportions than those who are not. However, gaps in ethnic minority turnout persists. Some of the obstacles this voting bloc faces are: lack of information about voting, restrictive and limiting voter-identification policies, and an overall apathy toward voting during elections.
According to the Census Bureau’s survey of voters, in 2012, 26.9 percent of Latinos registered to vote claimed that they were too busy or had school and work responsibilities that prevented them for voting on election day. Given that Latinos make up the largest share of eligible millennial voters, assisting in preventing these obstacles can have a major effect on their turnout.
In the report, we mapped the polling sites with college campuses provided by State and County election boards to demonstrate the proximity of polling sites to these institutions. We chose to focus on Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania because of their tendency to being “swing states” during presidential elections, as well as Arizona because of the sheer number of MSIs in the state. What we found was that the enrollment figures in most of the states examined were greater than the vote difference in the 2016 election, which demonstrates the power MSIs can have if they were able to get all eligible voters at their institution and surrounding community to vote. We also found that in some instances, MSIs were located in areas where voting sites were a mile or longer away, demonstrating the issue of access to the polls.
