College Stud
Students cite registration hold-ups, lack of time and interest as main reasons
By Peter Strella
Assistant Layout Editor
The turnout for college-aged voters has
dwindled since the Amendment lowered the vot
ing age to 18, according to the Youth Vote Coalition.
Forty-five percent of Americans ages 18 to 24 were
registered to vote in 2000, and, according to the U.S.
Census Bureau, 32 percent of them voted on Election
Day.
The average turnout of college-age students
for presidential elections was 17 percent less than the
rest of the voting population from 1972 to 1996,
according to the book Democracy and College
Student Voting.
So why is the turnout for college students so
low and how can it be increased? The Capital Times
performed a survey of college student voting habits.
Twenty-five out of the 33 students surveyed were reg
istered to vote, but only 11 of the students in the sur
vey voted in the 2002 Pennsylvania gubernatorial
election.
The students gave reasons as to why they
did or did not vote. Most of those who did vote said
it was their patriotic duty to participate in elections
and that their vote makes a difference.
Of those who did not vote, some said it was
because they were not registered or were registered in
a precinct away from campus. A few of the students
said that they did not agree with any of the candidates.
Others said they could not find the time. “I
was either in class or at work all day during the vot
ing hours,” said a student majoring in psychology.
Some said that their vote is irrelevant. “One
person is inconsequential among millions and choos
ing the least corrupt just seems silly,” said a student
majoring in computer science.
Other responses were that students didn’t
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ent Voters are Few
care, felt they were uninformed, or were fed up with
government and the election process.
“I think the whole procedure is such a
crock,” said a student majoring in communications.
“After weeks and months of mudslinging, at the end I
can’t stand either of them. For people who want to get
us out of debt, they spend an awful lot of money, espe
cially on advertising.”
Low turnouts for the 18 to 24-year-old age
bracket are nothing new. “The young and college stu
dents as a group, tend to turn out at low rates normal
ly,” said Dr. Steven Peterson, director of the School of
Public Affairs.
“One person is inconse
quential among millions
and choosing the least cor
rupt just seems silly,”
said a student majoring in
computer science.
“Some studies, including a couple things
I’ve done, show that if you own a home, you’re more
likely to vote,” said Peterson. “If you own a home,
you have something at stake. There are property
taxes. All sorts of decisions by local government and
state government can affect the value of your proper
ty. If you’re a student, you normally don’t own your
own home, so you have less at stake.”
Peterson said that college students still have
things at stake even though typically less than older
voters. “If you’re looking at Pennsylvania, your
tuition went up 13 percent this year because of state
cutbacks on its contributions to Penn State. That may
be a sensible budget decision (for the state govern-
ment), but the reality is it’s affecting (students) very
directly.”
Peterson said that the draft for the Vietnam
War is an example of how politics can directly affect
college students. “The draft was not this vague,
abstract issue, it was what are the odds you’re going
to Vietnam. So all of a sudden, politics has real mean-
The best way to increase student voter
turnout is through student clubs and organizations,
said Peterson. Provost and Dean Madlyn Haynes
agreed with Peterson. “The best impact could be
made through student groups,” said Haynes.
“Students encouraging students.”
SGA President Parul Luthra said she defi
nitely agreed with Peterson and Haynes. “If we as
student leaders promote the idea that we have the
power to get officials elected, it could get infectious,”
said Luthra. The SGA brought in the League of
Women’s Voters to the campus to register students to
vote. Luthra said the turnout was low because they
did not promote the event much. Time constraints and
poor communication with the organization were fac
tors.
Registration tables are one way to increase
student voter turnout, but some teachers assume a
more active role in the classroom. Humanities
Professor Dr. Cheri Ross offered extra credit to her
students if they voted. “I know how bdsy they are and
how many obligations they have,” says Ross. “The
extra credit is my way of encouraging them to exer
cise one of the most basic freedoms America offers.”
Ross said she has always encouraged stu
dents to vote, but started only started offering extra
credit two or three elections ago. “I’d ask who voted
and only two or three would out of all my classes. So
I felt I needed to do more,” said Ross.
ANNOUNCING
HARRISBURG
SEMESTER:
PUBLIC SERVICE AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT INTERNSHIPS
The Harrisburg Semester is an opportunity for Penn State
undergraduate students who are interested in political
science, public policy, or community development.
For more information
and application instructions, go
to the Harrisburg Semester Web
siteat:WNW.UlUSUda/Ug/
MWOSIfII/ or contact Dr. Robert
W. Surridge at 717-783-0433 or
e-mail rwsB@psu.edu.