Student Voting Energy at a Peak
by Kyle Ciani | Published on 11/15/2024
Imagine being cheered when you cast your ballot for the first time. That’s exactly what happened during early voting hours at Illinois State University’s Bone Student Center on November 5. Regular cheers from McLean County poll workers signaled a ballot cast from first-time voters, many of whom were students and same-day registrants.
Throughout the fall, schools across the county created spaces for their communities to register and learn about the issues facing their area with help from the League of Women Voters of McLean County. Thirty volunteers on the League’s Voter Services Committee participated in a range of events held at local high schools, Heartland Community College, Illinois State University (ISU), and Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU).
Since 2021, ISU’s Center for Civic Engagement has been designated as a “Voter Friendly Campus,” a distinction applied to just over 200 schools in the country. The Center has built coalitions across the campus and into the community, including with the League. Activities ranging from pre- and – post- election Listening Circles and #RedbirdsVote social media campaigns to voter registration tables in public spaces such as Milner Library put voting front and center.
Other ISU campus units also played critical roles in reaching student populations, such as the Lauby Teacher Education Center. In mid-October the Lauby Center held its Teacher Advocacy Week and made voting a central message for future teachers. That week the League’s Voter Services chair and Milner librarian Chad Kahl, Milner librarian Angie Bonnell, and League member Peggy Swerdlik helped students passing through DeGarmo Hall register to vote. League member and Professor of History Kyle Ciani discussed with future teachers how they can benefit from involvement in organizations like the League.
At Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU), the Research Action Center, directed by Deborah Halperin, organized its “Titans Vote” efforts. Their information featured the League Vote 411.org website as a key finding aid. League volunteers spent time throughout the fall on the IWU campus registering students to vote.
These united efforts across campuses proved successful. Counts at the Bone Student Center polling site numbered 3,586 early voters and another 3,233 voters on election day; while information on first-time voters is not yet available, historically the greatest number of voters at the Bone has been students.
After a brief pause to catch our breath from the General Election, the League’s efforts to register and educate young people about their voting rights will continue in the new year in preparation for the spring election cycle.
If you are interested in learning how to be involved, follow the Voter Services Committee updates in The Voter.