As partisan tensions rise with new elections on the horizon, some college students are ready to register to vote and cast a ballot for the first time, while others find the process too confusing or irrelevant to try.
“Younger voters overall are less familiar with the process of registering to vote simply because they are less likely to have done it before, and individuals are more likely to register if they know what is required of them to do so,” Assistant Professor of Political Science Jonathan Klingler said.
When asking students around campus if they were registered to vote, the majority said they were not because they did not know how.
“I would be a lot more likely to vote if I knew how to even register,” Macy Cassidy, a sophomore pre-law major, said.
In most states, you must be a resident of the state to vote in local and state elections. At UM, the ratio of in-state to out-of-state students is typically 50/50. For the 2022-23 school year, 50.5% of undergraduates were out of state students. Unless these students wish to establish legal residency in Mississippi, they cannot vote in Mississippi elections and may not know how to vote absentee in the elections taking place in their home states.
“Individuals who move more often are less likely to be registered to vote in their current place of residence, and as students are very likely to move frequently, this leads them to be less likely to be registered as well,” Klinger said.
Michaela Michaelis, a sophomore pre-nursing major, explained how she was not aware of how to vote now that she is at UM.
“I honestly didn’t even know you could vote in Mississippi unless you were a resident of the state,” Michaelis said.
Many students expressed a lack of interest in voting due to feeling that the issues that are important to them weren’t being prioritized. This issue, however, is part of a cycle.
“One reason why issues college students or young people, in general, may care about often seem to get ignored in the system is because younger voters tend not to be a reliable source of voter turnout,” Jonathan Winburn, a political science professor, said.
According to Klinger, this is why it is more important for students to participate in elections.
“If more students vote, politicians will focus more on serving the needs of students overall,” Klinger said.
There are a number of on-campus events being hosted by the UM Voting Coalition that aim to get college students civically engaged.
In addition to registering at home, students can also register to vote at these on-campus events:
Oct. 2: Voter Education Fair, in the Circle from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Oct. 4: UM Voting Coalition game night, location and time TBD.
Oct. 5: Voter Registration Drive, in the Circle from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Oct. 9: DONUT Forget to Vote, on Business Row from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
If students prefer to vote in their home state, The League of Women Voters lists the various registration requirements by state on its website.
“Voting is one of the most important fundamental aspects of living in a democracy,” Winburn said. “Voting allows individuals to have their voice heard in the system and is necessary for a strong and healthy democracy.”
