While many young voters are pushing to make their voices heard leading up to election season, thousands of students across the country struggle to engage in democratic processes due to limited resources, financial and time constraints, and other barriers. According to Loren Belew, the lowest voter turnout rates are among 18 to 22 year olds.
Voter apathy
The aforementioned limitations, along with increased rates of voter apathy, are the biggest culprits in the lack of engagement. Belew, who serves as the civic engagement coordinator for Student Engagement, Advocacy and Leadership (SEAL), and others on campus, including those involved with the Shockers Vote! Coalition, are fighting to change that. They hope to do so by eliminating voter apathy, correcting misconceptions and providing reliable voting information to demystify the process.
“I think it’s confusing (for students). I think they … just don’t have information about it, or they haven’t had the chance to get registered to vote, or it doesn’t seem very appealing,” Belew said.
Voter apathy is a term used to refer to the lack of interest in voting, especially due to feelings of alienation and voter fatigue, according to POLYAS.
Belew says that the growing level of disinterest and resentment toward voting presents harmful consequences, but she understands why students feel the way they do.
“Voter apathy affects everyone, regardless of if they’re college students or not, or (if) they’re not interested in politics,” Belew said. “I certainly understand not being excited about politics or voting, but I would encourage (students) … to start thinking about your community.”
Belew said one way that voters from all demographics can better connect with and participate in elections is by voting for candidates that support the causes most important to them, rather than randomly voting for candidates based on party affiliation or not voting at all.
“People are really turned off in politics right now but are very passionate about causes,” Belew said. “Helping people see that those causes and issues that they’re passionate about are directly affected by who they vote for … can have an impact.”
Transportation and accessibility difficulties
Other barriers include a lack of transportation and time limitations. The nearest advanced polling location to Wichita State University is Progressive Missionary Baptist, which is about a mile away from the center of campus.
For students without vehicles or with classes that conflict with the 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. early voting times, in-person voting can be almost completely inaccessible. The standard voting time window, between 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., for the general election is only open on Nov. 7.
In the past, Wichita Transit has offered free bus rides for those riding to or from polling locations. As of Oct. 16, no such announcement for the 2023 election cycle has been made.
Belew says a convenient, accessible and affordable alternative is to request an advanced ballot.
“(Students) can have a ballot sent to their house, and then they can put it in the mail and vote before they even get to election day,” Belew said. “It’s pretty snazzy. For a lot of people who work, or students, or people who aren’t able to get out on their own … they can vote ahead of time, and then they don’t have to worry about it.”
Advanced mail-in ballots do not require a postage stamp, making the process completely free.
Advanced ballots can be mailed from any mailbox or post office, including the post office location on campus at Morrison Hall. Advance mail ballots can be requested from the Sedgwick County Election office online.
Advanced ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day to count in the Nov. 7 election. The last day to request an absentee ballot is seven days before the election.
Absence of student-oriented information
A lack of information or access to voting information also results in lower youth voting turnout rates. Students from outside of Sedgwick County or Kansas often don’t know when or how to register to vote, and often maintain their voter registration in areas they do not currently live in.
Freshman dental hygiene student Jelynn House is originally from Oklahoma and is still unsure of how the registration process works as a student between states.
“I want to vote, but I’m honestly not sure how as an out-of-state student. They really don’t educate you about that part,” House said. “Dropping everything and driving four hours isn’t exactly the most convenient thing to do.”
Wichita State students can register to vote through TurboVote, which partnered with WSU to provide general voting information, as well as the ability to check one’s voting registration status and how to change it.
How to overcome voting obstacles
The best method to help navigate these different barriers is to “make a plan to vote,” according to Belew.
A complete list of advanced voting locations, as well as a calendar of Election Office events, can be found on the Sedgwick County website.
