My vote doesn’t make a distinction

Selling civic engagement on faculty campuses is a precedence for increased schooling establishments, notably earlier than an election, as helps college students to become involved in political discourse and use their voices.

However within the wake of this election, most college students say they don’t really feel like their vote issues.

A November Scholar Voice survey by Inside Increased Ed and Faculty Pulse discovered 57 p.c of school college students really feel like their voice/vote makes a distinction not a lot or under no circumstances following the result of the 2024 presidential election. Solely 14 p.c of respondents mentioned they strongly agree that their vote makes a distinction, and the remaining 29 p.c imagine their vote issues considerably.

Voter apathy shouldn’t be distinctive to school college students. Roughly one in three People mentioned they felt exhausted with politics after the election. However campus leaders are hoping to maintain younger voters engaged within the democratic course of, not seeing voting as the tip purpose however one piece of the puzzle.

“[Students] are the way forward for this democracy of this nation; they’re going to be those making the choices of the long run, and we wish them to be engaged past the presidential election years,” says Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice chairman of neighborhood engagement and authorities affairs on the College of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Survey says: Demographic components, together with how college students voted within the presidential election and their political social gathering affiliation, confirmed clear tendencies amongst Republicans and Trump voters feeling extra represented within the democratic course of; two-thirds of Trump voters or registered Republicans imagine their vote issues at the very least considerably, in comparison with 37 p.c of Democrats and 36 p.c of Harris voters.

This pattern wasn’t shocking to Cohen. “Every time your candidate wins, you’ll really feel higher concerning the consequence or that democracy does work higher than if you happen to had a disappointing consequence,” Cohen says.

Each the Harris and Trump campaigns noticed a decrease turnout amongst scholar voters in 2024 in comparison with 2020, which had traditionally excessive participation amongst younger individuals, in response to an evaluation of exit ballot information by Tufts College’s Heart for Info and Analysis on Civic Studying and Engagement.

Amongst all Scholar Voice respondents who voted, 47 p.c say they really feel their voice/vote makes a distinction at the very least “considerably.”

Grownup learners (ages 25 and up) had been extra prone to really feel like their vote didn’t matter, with 27 p.c reporting they felt their voice mattered under no circumstances, in contrast with 21 p.c of traditional-aged learners.

Democratic beliefs: Earlier than the election, over one-quarter (26 p.c) of Scholar Voice respondents mentioned the way forward for democracy was a high situation in whom they selected to vote for.

College of Scranton leaders heard college students categorical issues concerning the state of democracy when it comes to a free and honest election and questioning their confidence within the election course of, Cohen says.

Following the election, 44 p.c of Scholar Voice respondents mentioned they’re very involved about the way forward for democracy on this nation, with a complete of 69 p.c of scholars who’re at the very least considerably involved. This quantity grows to 48 p.c amongst college students who voted feeling very nervous, for a complete of 70 p.c of scholar voters nervous about America’s future as a democracy.

Election outcomes, equally, performed an impression in college students’ emotions, with 69 p.c of Harris voters “very” nervous about the way forward for democracy in comparison with 44 p.c of Trump voters who’re “under no circumstances” involved concerning the future.

Amongst college students who didn’t vote, 17 p.c mentioned they’re “very” involved with the way forward for democracy and one other 17 p.c mentioned they had been “under no circumstances” involved.

On campus: Simply because the election is over doesn’t imply scholar organizers and campus leaders are stopping civic engagement work; it’s the other, the truth is.

Following the election, the College of Mary Washington in Virginia held further programming to preserve college students engaged on campus and assist them tackle any emotions they could be experiencing, Melissa Jones, dean of scholars and affiliate vice chairman of scholar affairs, shared in a Nov. 19 webinar hosted by the Constructive Dialogue Institute.

The College students Study College students Vote coalition noticed curiosity of their work spike after election; Clarissa Unger informed Inside Increased Ed the group noticed dozens of latest requests to attend their late November convention within the two weeks after the election. SLSV deliberately hosts its Nationwide Scholar Vote Summit (NSVS) shortly after Election Day to make sure organizers’ momentum doesn’t decelerate, Unger shared.

The College of Scranton’s Royals Vote coalition will meet within the coming weeks to debate learn how to preserve college students engaged, taking a look at civic dialogue work, encouraging advocacy and highlighting peaceable protest.

Bridgewater Faculty is rebranding its scholar voter initiative from BC Votes to BC Have interaction, additionally serving to college students see themselves as individuals within the democratic course of all year long, not simply throughout election season, Bobbi Gentry, affiliate professor of political science, shared at NSVS.

Throughout NSVS, college students brainstormed methods to proceed making civic engagement a precedence amongst their friends, together with making politics extra informal and making certain college students really feel proud and empowered as they take part in democratic processes.

Scholar organizers have fought voter apathy by encouraging participation in native elections and connecting points their friends care about to poll positions, serving to them see the place they will make a distinction in voting.

“We have to preserve working; we positively can’t put this to the aspect and are available again in 4 years,” Cohen says.

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