Election Day is Nov. 5, and early voting kicked off Tuesday.
After months of voter registration and hours of tabling events to sign up voters, Indiana University organizations want to get more students to the polls. The Undergraduate Student Government and the Political and Civic Engagement program want student voices to be heard. Early voting is an easy way to do that, said Olivia Young, IUSG deputy chief of staff.
In Monroe County, voters can cast their ballots at Election Operations, located at 302 S. Walnut St.
“The day of Election Day, it might be harder to get to the polls,” Young said. “You might be waiting. So, it's important that you're able to cast your ballot as early as possible.”
Read more: Early voting has started in Indiana. Here's how to do it
In 2020, adults under 30 turned out in higher numbers, making up about 38 percent of new or irregular voters.
PACE and IUSG offer resources online to register, plan for and get to the election.
As usual, an election-day polling site will be open at the Indiana Memorial Union.
College students can register to vote where they attend school or where they live while not at school. Sixty-seven percent of eligible IU Bloomington students voted in the 2020 general election. This year, about 48,000 students are enrolled in Blooomington.
“We finally feel like we hit a saturation point where it's not ‘Are you registered to vote anymore?’” said Pearl Vinard, a PACE Democracy Fellow. “It's, ‘What's your voting plan and when are you gonna go vote?’ And that's been a great response from IU students.”
Vinard said it’s impossible to walk around campus without hearing about the election. There’s excitement, she said, but there’s also worry. That’s why Vinard believes students should vote early. Nov. 5 is closer than people think.
“People love to say we're in unprecedented times,” Vineyard said. “This election is definitely one for the books, for the records.”
Read more: We made a voting guide!
IU is taking part in the Big Ten Voting Challenge. PACE was invited to the program, where schools compete for the highest turnout. And IUSG’s Road to 100 campaign sought to register 100 percent of students for the election.
“We had about 16 organizations sign up for the campaign, and they were vying for a cash prize,” Young said. “From those 16 organizations, they represented over 6,000 students in the student body. And we had over 60 hours of tabling.”
Young and Vinard plan to vote in their Indiana hometowns.
“I've just been extremely proud of all of the students coming together, and I hope to see everyone at the polls,” Young said.
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright .
