A recent study by the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, conducted in June, found that UT Austin students have significantly higher rates of voter participation than students attending similar universities. Despite this, TX Votes is on a mission to encourage even more students to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

“We’re doing better than a lot of universities, but young people in general still underperform compared to other demographic groups in their voter turnout,” Mark Strama, director of the Annette Strauss Institute, said. “There’s plenty of room to improve.” 

When Kamala Harris was announced as the democratic presidential candidate in August, there was an undeniable surge of excitement. Strama said that suddenly having a new candidate who can meet young people where they are changed the reception that young people give the campaign.

“There’s just a lot more energy around this election,” Strama said. “My own teenage daughters are paying way closer attention to it. I don’t think it changes the dynamic for every voter, but it seems to change it for a lot of voters and for young voters more than most other demographic groups.”

 

Campus culture plays a big part in higher voting rates. Having opportunities to hear about politics and get involved can remind students that they have ways to take action.

“There’s so many organizations that are constantly popping up on campus about different issues, different problems that they want to solve in the world,” Batson said. “I think that means that students have this mindset that they want to be engaged in helping shape the world into what they want to see. And voting is one of the ways you do that.”

That culture extends to the professors who invite TX Votes to their classrooms to register students en masse. This semester, volunteers will be coming to more than 75 classes, including some of the largest lectures on campus, to help hundreds of students register before the Oct. 7 deadline.

“We’ve got this great cadre of students who want to spend their time registering their peers to vote, even if those peers are going to vote differently than they want them to,” Strama said. “It’s great that there are so many students who just genuinely want to increase participation for the sake of democracy.”

Once registration ends, TX Votes plans to tackle what it sees as its next hurdle to encourage civic engagement: getting students to actually show up to the polls. They will host events highlighting specific races or issues that might be especially relevant to students.

The Annette Strauss Institute has also created a Canvas module that professors can add to their courses, as well as a FAQ website, that include comprehensive information about voting requirements and common issues.

“If you make a plan to vote, then you’re more likely to act on the plan,” Batson said. “If you have a specific day in mind or a specific polling site in mind, you’re more likely to do it. So, we try to have students make those choices as much as we can.”

Young adult voter participation rates have historically been lower than other age demographics.

“It’s a well-known fact that the older you are, the more likely you are to vote,” Sofia Westmoreland, a communication studies sophomore and TX Votes intern, said. “We’re just trying to bridge that gap.”

Westmoreland believes that college students should begin to practice civic engagement and get involved in elections right away, particularly because the decisions about who they put in office can have legislative repercussions for the university such as changes to state funding and investments in government research.

For the Annette Strauss Institute, civic engagement doesn’t stop at voting. It also provides opportunities for students to get involved and learn about politics year-round at its monthly pizza and politics forum — the most recent featured a bingo night during the presidential debate — as well as screenings of films and outreach programs in K-12 schools. TX Votes prides itself on showing young people how to form civic habits during their time on campus.

“I think it’s our job as a university, at TX Votes, to do our best to lay a foundation that doesn’t rely on a political campaign to add excitement,” Batson said. “We take advantage of that when it’s there, but we should be there to help students learn this fundamental skill of being a citizen and being engaged that they carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

The deadline to register to vote in Texas is Oct. 7. Early voting takes place Oct. 21-Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 5.

Read more news about the Annette Strauss Institute and TX Votes.