Letters & Op-Eds

Getting College Students to the Polls

By David L. Warren and Constantine W. Curris

We see the headlines all too often: "Youth Tune Out Politics." "Study Shows Youth Vote Down." "College Students Not Drawn to Voting." News articles have described students’ lack of political engagement and tried to evaluate the reasons for it. But few observers have provided much insight into what colleges can do to solve the problem.

How can higher education fulfill its commitment to promote civic and political awareness among students? How do our institutions reinforce their role as incubators of political discourse and action when the society at large is increasingly disengaged? How do we encourage our nation's future leaders to participate in the most basic act of constitutional democracy?

On the face of it, students' lack of political participation is disheartening. Only 16 percent participate in a government or political organization, and only 7 percent will volunteer for a political campaign this year, according to a Harvard University survey released in the spring.

Thirty years ago, during the height of student activism -- and the groundswell that led to passage of the 26th Amendment, which allowed everyone 18 years and older to vote -- such apathy would have been unthinkable.

But decades of political scandal and upheaval, from the assassinations of the 60s to the moral lapses of later presidential administrations, have distanced many Americans from government. As a nation, which includes our campuses, we lag behind other Western democracies in our electoral participation.

A more optimistic tale has been largely untold, however: Young people who go to college are more likely to vote than are their peers who do not. According to a November 1999 study by the Panetta Institute, 57 percent of college students voted in the 1996 general election, compared with 34 percent of those who didn't attend college.

In 1998 as well, a significantly larger percentage of traditional-age college students voted than did their non-college peers or the general population as a whole. And those who cast their first ballot between the ages of 18 and 24 are more likely to vote throughout their lifetimes.

Although those trends are encouraging, we in higher education should do much more to inspire civic responsibility among our students. Our institutions should seize the opportunity to build on the predisposition to vote among our traditional-age students, and promote electoral discourse and participation. In the process, we can help fight the disenchantment and cynicism that increasingly mark our society.

Already, as a result of regulations in the 1998 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, every college that participates in federal student-aid programs must now make a good-faith effort to distribute voter-registration forms to every student on the campus before the state's registration deadline. (The requirement does not apply to states with same-day registration.)

Colleges have been busy meeting this requirement, distributing 15.1 million voter registration forms, of which 8.7 million went to students 18 to 24 years old.

But the federal mandate is no panacea for encouraging students to vote. Between now and Election Day, every college should make not only student voter registration, but also civic education and electoral participation, top priorities.

For a start, institutions must go beyond the law's requirements. The National Campus Voter Registration Project, created in 1996 by the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, a coalition of 49 groups, has provided information and advice to help its 3,500 member institutions register one million new student voters in both the 1996 and 1998 elections. More than 70 percent of students are already registered; this year, as a result of the efforts of associations and institutions, registration should reach its highest level yet.

Simply passing out forms, however, won't ensure student engagement in the political process. The Harvard study found that most students still want easier ways to register. Many of them also need more information about the voting process, the candidates, and the issues to be motivated to vote.

Institutions should follow the lead of those that have increased their voter-registration activities. Some colleges saturate their students with mass mailings or e-mail messages that direct them to Web sites where they can register and request absentee ballots electronically. (One example is the site of one of our groups, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, at www.naicu.edu.) Many colleges hold campuswide voter-registration parties. Others distribute voter-registration forms in course-registration lines and at football games as well as in classrooms, dorms, and student centers.

Yet, because voter registration doesn't always translate into voter participation, even those activities are just a first step. Statistics from the Federal Election Commission indicate that, while the overall number of registered voters has grown since the "Motor Voter" act was adopted in 1993, the proportion of Americans who voted in presidential elections declined by more than 5 percent from 1992 to 1996. To truly expand voter participation, colleges should do what they do best: motivate students through education.

Many institutions have successfully adopted a comprehensive, nonpartisan, League of Women Voters-style model to help demystify candidates and issues, and make local, state, and national politics more relevant to students. For example, some institutions are holding candidates’ debates or sponsoring political fairs that bring candidates, political parties, and issue groups to the campus to distribute information and interact with students. Others have revived a version of "teach-ins," focusing on issues of student concern: education, health care, gun control, the environment, human rights, and political reforms.

The final challenge will be getting students to the polls on Election Day, or making sure that they submit their absentee ballots. Colleges can organize phone banks to call new voters on Election Day eve and on the day itself, canvass residence halls and off-campus neighborhoods to remind students to vote, create public-service announcements for the campus news media, and offer shuttle service to polling places.

The national associations will continue to provide support for such campus-based efforts. Under the theme "ServiceVote 2000," 43 organizations involved in student service and civic engagement will urge the three-fourths of all students who currently volunteer in their communities to participate in their service projects on the morning of November 7, and vote in the afternoon.

Highlighting those dual commitments will reinforce students' understanding of the relationship between volunteering in their own communities and voting for state and national candidates. In addition, the National Campus Voter Registration Project has developed a handbook to help institutions develop voter-participation activities: Your Vote, Your Voice (available online at http://www.naicu.edu/VoteVoice2002).

No matter what model each college pursues to encourage voter registration and turnout, these efforts will make a positive difference for students in their lifelong obligations as citizens. Our institutions should be committed to a dialogue on the value of civic participation. Enhancing our students' awareness of the issues, policies, and candidates will strengthen our democracy and encourage students to exercise their voice and their vote. It's an investment that will pay off for everyone.

David L. Warren is president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Constantine W. Curris is president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. They are co-chairs of the National Campus Voter Registration Project.

Reprinted from the Chronicle of Higher Education, October 13, 2000.