Survey: How to Help Students Vote This Fall

A September Student Voice survey from Inside Higher Ed, conducted by Generation Lab, found almost all students plan to vote in the upcoming presidential election, but around one in 10 don’t know how yet. Among the 92 percent of respondents who plan to vote in the Nov. 5 election, 11 percent said they are not yet sure of their plans to vote or are unaware of how to vote. Some student populations were more likely to say this was the case, including low-income students (13 percent) and those not registered to vote (33 percent). 

One of the greatest challenges for college students voting is that, for many, this is their first time voting, says Jill Beckwith, executive director of the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts, which makes voter education and support even more important for this population.