As the countdown to the midterm elections crosses the two-week mark, college students are poised to make a difference at the ballot box. With control of the House, Senate, and 36 governorships up for grabs, students could play a decisive role in many races, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, particularly the Senate races in Georgia and Arizona and the gubernatorial race in Wisconsin. But will college students turn out at the polls?
College voter participation has traditionally been low. Students are often eligible to vote for the first time and haven’t yet made it a habit. They’ve often moved to a new precinct for school. And students may feel disillusioned or disempowered about the process. In the 2014 midterm elections, the average student voter rate was only 19%, according to the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University. But in recent years, student voting has jumped significantly. In 2018, the average student voting rate more than doubled from the previous midterm, to 40%. And in the 2020 elections, the student voting rate was 66%, similar to that of the general population.
Dr. Adam Gismondi, director of impact for the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education
The increased voting numbers correlate with the rise of Donald J. Trump, who galvanized voters of all ages for and against him in the six years since he declared himself a candidate for the presidency. But without Trump in office, college voting should remain high, according to experts.
“Politics right now is an issue of pop culture,” said Dr. Adam Gismondi, director of impact for the IDHE. “It's something that seems to find its way into every corner of public life.”
Although Trump will not be on the ballot, he still casts a shadow over the candidates who will be.
“A lot of candidates have either chosen to affiliate themselves with Trump or have spoken about their distaste for him, whether they're Republicans or Democrats,” said Gismondi. “The dividing lines are pretty clear across the country.”
