Local elections are coming up in the Miami Valley. These elections will not only address important topics, but will also put some elected officials in office. Students at Wright State University will be impacted by these elections, but the question remains whether students plan to vote in the election or not.
What are local elections?
Local elections are, simply put, elections that are local. In local elections, people vote on a variety of items at the county, city and township level. Legislative executives like mayors and county executives are being elected at this time. Other legislative officials are also elected, like the city council and the county commissioners. Many local judiciary members and people who are related to the school board are also elected. Local elections are important to all individuals at the city level, as those elected will be in charge of town laws and ordinances.
Additionally, a lot of issues are voted on at this time that can affect the equity on the local level.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State, Greene County only had a turnout of 15.6% of registered voters show up to vote in the past local election. Most of the population of those who turned out were not college-aged students; in fact, these populations skewed significantly older.
But with WSU having a record-breaking year for attendance, some may be left curious as to how this happened.
Why are college kids not voting?
One of the most important factors that goes into college students not voting pertains to location. Most of the students who attend WSU are not residents of Greene County.
WSU, like most colleges, has a diverse group of students. Some come from in-state, some from out of state and some are even international. This plays a major factor when it comes to the voting process on both the local and federal levels.
Some students, like English major Xavier Hecker, were not sure how to vote because they were not native Greene County residents.
“Honestly, I almost didn’t vote in the 2024 election,” Hecker said. “I ended up driving all the way back to my hometown and voting because of how important the issues were, but I feel like it's such a pain to even find out if I can vote near here.”
According to the Ohio Secretary of State's office, to vote in elections, you must be an Ohio resident. But they state that in order to vote in a certain place, you have to plan on staying there long term or have “fixed habitation.” For college students, this means if you plan on staying there permanently, you are allowed to vote there, given you fill out a voter registration form in the area.
“A college student may vote using his or her Ohio school residence address if the student does not intend to return to a different permanent address. When a college student registers to vote from his or her school address, the school residence is considered to be the place to which the student's habitation is fixed and to which, whenever the student is absent, the student intends to return, and is considered by the student to be his or her permanent residence at the time of voting. Any other previous residence for voting purposes is no longer valid. It is illegal for a person to register and vote from two different addresses,” the Secretary of State website reads.
If students would like to participate in their local elections from the comfort of their dorms, they are encouraged to fill out an absentee ballot.
Besides location, college students aren’t voting due to a lack of knowledge on local elections and the pushing of federal elections. Students like Willow Tracey, a TESOL major, are left to guess what these elections are for and are fatigued by the whole process.
“There’s a local election soon? Didn’t we just have an election?” Tracey said. “I feel like this stuff needs to be taught better. I know they happen because I’m not dumb but I feel like the government makes things so obtuse by not actually letting the people know when they will be.”
For more information about voting as a college student, visit the Secretary of State’s website dedicated to college voters.
Elections are important as they give citizens a voice, it is important that college students get more involved so that everyone is adequately represented.
