Rock the Vote, a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people. Image courtesy of Rock The Vote.
By Danny Villalobos
Staff Writer
A shocking number of WCC students reported they had no interest in voting and do not follow politics regularly. There are many students who have registered to vote, and have taken an interest in local elections. Answers received from WCC students suggested a trend that older students tend to be more politically active than those in the 18-25 age range.
“Only 28% of young adults say they are absolutely certain they will vote in the 2018 election compared to 74% of seniors,” according to a poll taken by the Public Religion Research Institute, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization. All things considered though, voter enthusiasm is reported to be at an all-time high, according to Pew Research Center, and TIME reports that more than 800,000 have registered, breaking a record set in 2016.
Historically, midterms tend to have the lowest voter turnout of any other election. The 2016 presidential election brought a turnout of 61.4% of registered voters to the polls. However, the 2014 midterm elections saw the lowest voter turnout in a midterm election since 1942, with just 36.6% of registered voters making it to the polls, according to the United States Census Bureau.
“If you don’t start on thinking of elections now you’re not gonna act in elections later,” said Matea Pejic a WCC student, “We’re soon to be the largest demographic and [have the] possibility of [making] the changes we want to see as the young generation.”
Matea Pejic is the founder and president of WCC UNICEF Campus Initiative. Her efforts in making a voter friendly environment at Washtenaw Community College were recognized by the Fall 2018 Fellowship from the nonpartisan Campus Vote Project she was recently awarded.
Pejic has made it her goal to increase the voter turnout at the college from 50.5% to 60% by summer 2019. Her goal is to register 2500 students by the deadline of Oct. 9.
Evidence suggests that citizen dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of elected officials could be responsible for low voter turnout.
“We have to make a change, too, and it happens when we believe our voice matters, and the way we use our voice is to show up at the polls in November,” said Pejic.
Tuesday, Oct. 9 is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming election. The League of Women Voters will be on campus from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm on Oct. 8th and Oct. 9 to get students registered and provide other resources. The county clerk will also be available on campus at the Student Center on Oct. 9 for anyone in need of an absentee ballot.
*Quotes have been edited and condensed.
