College students around the country are voting at unprecedented rates, including KSU students. How will this affect the 2024 Presidential Election?
The amount of college student’s voting is on the rise– a 13% increase from 2016 to 2020 in Presidential elections. Kennesaw State was ranked as one of the top colleges working to encourage voter participation among their students as well as being named one of only three “voter-friendly campuses” in Georgia. The latest information from 2016 shows that KSU students voted 3% over the national average, with History, Public Administration, and Education majors voting the most.
The KSU administration is actively working to continue this increase in student voter participation. Their efforts include student-hosted conversations, letter writing campaigns, constitution week panels, the Speak Up Series, and voter planning cards. But what do the students of KSU say about the 2024 election?
In a poll taken in September, 2024, KSU students shared the biggest factors determining who they will vote for. The economy, US foreign relations, and healthcare rank among the most common responses. “The economy is the biggest thing that is saying who I will vote for and who I trust will make it as good as it can be,” Responds a KSU student.
Other popular responses include gun rights/control, reproductive rights, Immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, the environment, and helping Palestine.
One KSU student said “I don’t believe one vote will change much but at the end of the day if everyone had this same train of thought then democracy will be shifted.”
Another KSU student said they were “excited about seeing who wins this presidential race,” with another saying “It’s time to take a chance on something new and vote for a third party. Show politicians that they can’t just throw away promises and expect you to vote for them time and time again.”
With this diversity of opinions on KSU, it seems the administration’s efforts to raise voting awareness have worked.
The increase in youth voter turnout has affected the way both presidential campaigns have treated younger voters.
“In the toss-up states like Georgia, my sense is there’s never been such an effort to reach out to young voters” Says Charles Bullock, a political science professor at the University of Georgia.
As the Presidential election cycle for 2024 closes, the voter turnout rates will be released, and we will see if the upward trend of college student participation continues. The latest polls currently released say Kamala Harris holds a massive lead to Donald Trump within the college campuses in swing states. 76% of college student-participants support Harris, while 24% support Trump when asked to choose between the two.
Today, KSU and college students around the country will be participating in one of the most beloved traditions in America, voting.
