Despite spikes for the presidential elections, voter turnout from students at Wichita State — as of 2022 — has been on the decline since the 2018 elections. Some WSU faculty, staff and student leaders have created a plan to combat the lower voter turnout. 

To help combat the low turnout, faculty, staff and student leaders at WSU formed the Shocker Vote Campus Coalition in 2024. The plan was created by Loren Belew, the Senior Civic Engagement Coordinator with Student Engagement and Belonging, with the consultation and leadership from the student-led Shockers Vote delegation.

In 2018, 42.8% of Wichita State students voted in the elections, according to the national study of learning, voting and engagement from Tufts University. During 2020 — a presidential election year — student voting increased to 67.1% before plummeting back down in 2022 to 34.2%.

Despite voter turnout decreasing at WSU between 2018 and 2022, student enrollment numbers have climbed. In 2018, Wichita State had 14,580 students enrolled with 8,861 of those students being registered to vote. That same year, only 5,063 students voted, which was 42.80% of registered voters. 

In 2022, enrollment increased by over 1,000 to reach 15,592 students, while 10,193 students were registered to participate in elections.

Only a little over 4,000 students voted in 2022 compared to the near 5,000 students just four years before. 

In 2020, however, with 14,663 students enrolled and 9,813 registered to vote, over 7,500 students voted in that year’s election. 

Data for 2024 elections is not yet available. 

The Shocker Vote Coalition has listed short and long term goals for the organization and voter turnout as a whole. 

Organizations like Loud Light host events and meetings in collaboration with the Shocker Vote Coalition to help meet these goals.