Campus Connection

Increased turnout mirrors national increase in young voters at the polls

UW-La Crosse on-campus voter turnout was up slightly this election compared to the 2008 presidential election. In Ward 8, a district predominantly made up of UW-L students, 2,037 people cast ballots compared to 2,000 during the 2008 presidential election. On-campus voting was 67 percent, according to the La Crosse County Clerk’s unofficial canvass. The turnout puts Ward 8 on the map — making it the ward with the second highest voter turnout in the City of La Crosse. The high turnout is a sign that students responded well to a UW-L student government-led voter drive on campus, says Tim Dale, UW-L assistant professor of political science. “I think students at UW-L are informed that voting matters and it makes a difference for their voices to be heard,” says Dale. It also is representative of a broader increase in young voter turnout. Young voters — those 18 to 29 — account for about 21 percent of the total voting population. And their voices were heard a bit more this election cycle as the young voter turnout increased by one percentage point. In the 2008 election, the young people vote accounted for 18 percent of all voters. In 2012 it increased to 19 percent. People within that age group with a college degree have an even higher turnout, notes Dale. “It’s a testament to the conversations that happen among students about the importance of voting,” says Dale. UW-L students have traditionally been among the county leaders in voter turnout, especially for the percentage of registered voters who actually cast a vote, says Joe Heim, a UW-L political science professor. A continually high turnout on campus means the campus can continue to expect candidate visits. College campuses offer candidates a crowd on short notice and an audience eager to be informed about candidates and issues, says Dale. Whether a new Wisconsin Voter ID law will affect voter turnout rates among students is still an unknown, says Dale. That will be determined by the final legislation and what will be counted as an ID. The biggest challenge, he says, will be educating students as to what will count as an ID if and when it is passed. But he is optimistic education won’t be a problem in the college environment. “College campuses have a good network of information sharing, so I do not expect that to be a problem,” he adds.