College students formed a line outside the campus museum Tuesday to vote early at a temporary polling site at the University of Minnesota.
This one-day site is made possible by a new state law that allows pop-up early voting, making it easier for people, such as student voters, who are unable to leave campus via transportation to access their polling place. .
“We brought the ballots to them,” said Riley Hetland, a sophomore and director of student government civic engagement who helped organize the event.
Hetland said the group has been visiting classrooms and hosting tables around campus for weeks to encourage people to register to vote and help them plan to vote. So far, 12,000 students have pledged to vote, doubling the target of 6,000, a sign of the enthusiasm of young people to fulfill their civic duty in the presidential election, she said. said. More than 600 people voted during the seven hours the pop-up site was open Tuesday, organizers said.
College campuses and campaigns across the country are ramping up efforts to register and activate college voters, especially in key battleground states. Democrats are counting on high turnout on college campuses, which tend to lean Democratic.
Kamala Harris’ campaign announced Wednesday that it will begin an early voting push targeting students on campuses in battleground states, including a seven-figure ad buy targeting students primarily on social media.
College campuses are also organizing their own get-out-the-vote efforts. Hundreds of students recently gathered at the University of California, Berkeley, for an event called “Votechella” that featured music and on-site voter registration, according to the state university system. The name comes from Coachella, a popular music festival held annually in Southern California.
At the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, students are responding positively to on-campus outreach efforts where a second voting hub opened on Monday, CBS News reported.
Student Nevaeh McVeigh told CBS: “I grew up in an environment where I wasn’t really educated about how to vote or who to vote for, so I think it’s really important in times like these to get the younger generation to vote.” I think this initiative is really easy and accessible for us students. ”
Efforts are being made to mobilize young voters as some students face difficulties voting. Leaders in some Republican-controlled states are working to restrict student voting, creating legislation that would limit the use of student ID cards as identification at polling places and restricting the use of on-campus polling places. It has been closed.
Supporters of these measures say they are necessary to prevent voter fraud, while others charge that voting is too easy for college students.
The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate text messages that appear to target young people to discourage them from voting. The organization received complaints from constituents who received texts such as: Do not vote in states where you are not eligible. ”
College students are traditionally allowed to vote in their home state or the state where they attend school, so they could be crucial to swing states. Some students are registering in states where they think their vote will have the most impact.
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“We’ve seen dozens of elections over the past few years where the results were up or down, but it was decided by just one vote,” said Clarissa, co-founder and executive director of the Students Learn Students Vote Coalition. Mr. Unger said. ABC News.
“Each college student’s vote can have a huge impact.”
Throughout the day Tuesday, the line at Minnesota’s pop-up site was filled with dozens of people who were passing by between classes, came to campus for the voting site or walked from their dorms. A 30-foot inflatable eagle helped create a fun atmosphere for voting. The free pizza was also fine.
There are election day voting locations on campus, but pop-up sites are the only option for early voting on campus. And voters don’t have to live in a particular precinct, any Minneapolis voter can cast a ballot there on Tuesday. Jocelyn Brass, director of government and legislative affairs for Student Government, said the group’s push for early voting is because various obstacles, such as exams or illness, can get in the way of voting on Nov. 5 only. He said this is because there is a possibility. . “We’re really prioritizing early voting sites because we don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said.
Madeline Ekstrand finished class for the day and waited about an hour before voting. The 21-year-old senior said she will vote for Harris because abortion access and the climate crisis are important to her.
“It’s nice to see people my age go vote and be proactive and not wait until the last moment,” she said.
