Voter education gets a boost with new online campus tool

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Let your voice be heard and your vote counted with the help of a new online resource offered through Western Michigan University.

Learn how to register, when and where to vote, and even what choices you have in the upcoming midterm elections on Tuesday, Nov. 8, through Turbo Vote. Students and the campus community can find answers to their voting questions, sign up for election reminders, get help with voter registration or voting by mail, and even find issues on their local ballot.

The platform is the latest tool offered by WeVote to help Bronco voters be informed and engaged in government.

With the support of the University’s administration, the nonpartisan organization has once again opened a satellite clerk’s office on campus to expand election services. The office is in room G14 of the Bernhard Center, the former computer lab, and is open during the same hours as city hall through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and include several days of extended and weekend hours beginning Monday, Oct. 24.

Making it more convenient for students to register to vote and gain information resulted in a greater percentage of students voting in the 2020 general election, and the expectation is to do the same for the election this year, says Emma Baratta, graduate assistant for the Office of Government Relations.

Nearly 65% of Western students voted in the 2020 general election, which was after the satellite clerk’s office opened on campus. This represents an almost 16% increase from the 2016 general election, according to Baratta. Because voter turnout is typically higher during general elections than midterms, WeVote is targeting a boost this year based on 2018 student voter numbers, which were close to 35% that year.

“We’re letting students know the general election is not the only election. In many ways, your local and state government races are more relevant and their impact instantaneous, compared to the national level,” says Baratta. “If you don’t vote, someone else is going to do it for you. You want to make your voice heard.”

Getting students more engaged in elections and voting helps build their sense of civic engagement, which encourages them to be more engaged, adds Mason DeRaad, Western Student Association executive officer for government affairs.

“We’re excited to be back in contact with students after the pandemic,” he says. “There’s energy on campus, and we’re doing everything we can to make their votes count.”

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.