There is no question that today\u2019s college students are deeply invested in politics.
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They are taking to the streets of their campuses in historically large numbers<\/a> to protest against gun violence, racial injustice and climate change, among other issues. But when it comes to voting, young Americans haven\u2019t shown up at the same rate as their parents and grandparents. In the 2016 presidential election, only 49 percent of eligible millennials<\/a> voted, compared to 69 percent of eligible baby boomers. Along with the established barriers that can make it difficult for them to get to the polls, students and young Americans have been dissuaded by candidates who don\u2019t share their beliefs, morals or eagerness for change. \u201cIt is really just the way politics have turned,\u201d said Anthony Eliopoulos<\/a>, the statewide president of College Democrats of Ohio. \u201cThis past (presidential) election was ugly; it was mean. It didn\u2019t inspire anyone to get out and vote.\u201d And for young Americans to check their first ballot box, they must feel motivated. But, in the 2020 election, young Americans have a tremendous opportunity to elect a candidate who shares their beliefs and can turn them into policy. Together, Generation Z and millennials now make up the largest voting block<\/a>. \u201cWe finally surpassed the baby boomer generation,\u201d Eliopoulos said. \u201cWhat we want to see in policy can actually happen if we get out to vote, but historically we haven\u2019t turned out.\u201d So, in an effort to encourage young Americans to vote and to break down the barriers that keep them from taking to the polls, many campus groups and national organizations, such as Rock The Vote, HeadCount and more, have created new initiatives and revamped their old ones. Rock The Vote, which was founded by music executives in 1990 in opposition to the strict censorship of hip-hop and rap artists, now primarily works to make registration and voting a seamless process for young Americans. \u201cYoung voters are often new voters who have never participated in the process before,\u201d said Melissa Wyatt<\/a>, the civic technology program manager at Rock The Vote. \u201cThere are so many barriers in the process, and any one of them can prevent a new voter from being able to participate.\u201d There are logistical barriers that states impose, such as strict voting dates, deadlines and absentee rules, that make voting difficult for students who may also work, have limited access to transportation, or attend an out-of-state college. And there are educational barriers, Wyatt said. Young Americans are often left on their own to develop an understanding for the voting process and determine why an election — including those at the local level — may be important to participate in. \u201cI feel that many voters have the experience of showing up to the ballot box and not really understanding what\u2019s on their ballot and what the impact of the offices they are voting on will actually be in their day-to-day lives,\u201d Wyatt said. \u201cAnd that can really be intimidating,\u201d she continued. \u201cIt can discourage someone from participating who has never done it before.\u201d In an effort to mitigate these barriers, Rock The Vote has developed an online registration tool<\/a> and a voter status tool<\/a>, which people can use to check if they are already registered to vote.
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nGetting students to the polls<\/strong>
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