MADISON, Wis. – Without formal exit polls, it’s tough to know for sure how much college students influenced Wisconsin’s midterm election results, but there is some speculation they swung the race for governor.
Students on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus credit two things as big motivators for young voter turnout. The first is student groups and campaigns both focusing their efforts on pushing students to register, and the second was having a personal stake in the issues.
“There were people on the Memorial Union like every single day really making sure,” UW graduate student Clair Lamoureux said. “I was approached multiple times like, ‘Hey are you registered? Have you voted?’”
Senior Gavin Bovry said that created a buzz on campus not typical for a midterm election.
Anthony Chergosky, an assistant political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, said it’s very possible student participation was the main factor that helped Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers beat Republican challenger Tim Michels.
He said that’s likely especially true for Dane County but admits it’s too soon to say for sure.
“The results in Dane County were extremely impressive for the Democrats and we know that central to Dane County’s politics is the UW-Madison campus,” Chergosky said. “So, I imagine the UW-Madison vote really played a major role in the broader outcomes.”
Bovry said for him and other students like him, their engagement was more about the issues than the names in front of them.
“Reproductive rights and everything was a bigger portion of why I was voting,” he said. “Support for the governor in education was another big thing.”
UW senior Bridget Schlicting said it’s those issues that are directly affecting a lot of younger people who are now more eager to have their voices heard.
“They’re problems that could have a really big impact later in our lives, and I think people are sort of realizing how imminent some things are,” Schlicting said.
Chergosky suggests candidates from both parties pay close attention to this group of voters in the future if they hope to run a successful campaign, especially in Wisconsin where tight races are the norm.
“Candidates need to take time to get to know young voters,” he said. “Take time to get to understand the concerns of young voters and really make a strong effort to attract the support of young voters.”
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