Michigan students expected to play decisive role in race for U.S. House of Representatives

EAST LANSING – If they turn out to vote, students living in East Lansing could be the deciding voters in one of the most high-profile congressional races across the country. Michigan’s 7th District.

And both men vying for the seat, Lansing Democrat Curtis Hertel and Charlotte Republican Tom Barrett, know it. Both spent time and resources on campus educating students about their campaign platforms and recruiting volunteers on campus to spread their messages.

“From organizing for the passage of Proposition 3 to demanding change after the campus shooting, MSU students understand the power of their voice and the stakes in this election,” Hertel said in an email.

Barrett said he regretted not paying as much attention to MSU students in 2022 when he lost his bid for the seat to incumbent Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly. by 6 percentage points.

46% of MSU students voted in this election, which is higher than in the last midterm election. Nearly 77% of students voted in the most recent presidential election in 2020, according to data from the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

A Tufts study found that Michigan’s 7th Congressional District was the number one House race in the country where student voters could have the greatest impact. The approximately 52,000 students on campus constitute a significant voting population in the 7th District, making up about 8% of the voting age population of 620,800.

High student turnout could be a big boost to Hertel’s campaign. A Pew survey in April found that roughly 66% of 18- to 24-year-olds lean Democratic.

Hertel has come to campus multiple times over the past few months to stymie Democrat Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. During the event in September Along with her vice presidential running mate, Tim Walz, Hertel told students she expects them to be elected.

“We need every ounce of blood, sweat and tears that you have because you live in a Congress that will determine control of Congress in the state that will decide the Senate and in the state that determines the presidency,” Hertel said . . “No pressure.”

Predicting student turnout can be difficult. Although most MSU students live within the 7th District during the academic year, they may not be registered to vote there. Students may decide to travel home on Election Day or may already mail in their absentee ballot from their hometown clerk.

“Peer communication is really effective”

Barrett said he would like MSU students to vote to make it a bigger part of his campaign this cycle. He worked with organizers to create Spartans for Barrett and hired a campus coordinator and several student interns.

“Collaboration between colleagues is really effective,” he said. “This allows us to get our message to students we wouldn’t otherwise have access to.”

At the beginning of the semester, Spartans for Barrett hosted a golf outing that was attended by several dozen students. Barrett said holding small events with students allowed them to get to know him as a person and not just a face they see on TV or in the news.

Like Barrett, Hertel used students to get votes. His campaign hired 25 student interns to help inform and register voters, canvass dorm rooms and collaborate with other campaigns to elect Democrats.

“Our campaign and student interns are working hard to get out the vote and harness the incredible energy we feel on the ground,” Hertel said in an email.

More: Early voting centers will open on college campuses, but will students show up?

It just seems a little harder

East Lansing Clerk Marie Weeks and MSU officials have taken steps to make voting in East Lansing easier for MSU students and employees, as well as election officials. Weeks first opened an on-campus early voting center in WKAR TV Studio B, Room 195-A, in the Communication Arts & Sciences building, 404 Wilson Road. This was done in part to avoid lines at other polling stations, which in 2020 ran well after the polls’ scheduled closing time of 8 p.m.

Although Michigan state law that went into effect this year requires Michigan clerks to have nine days of early in-person voting, which begins on Saturday, Oct. 26, MSU’s early voting center is already open. Officials will begin registering voters and allowing them to vote on Monday, October 21.

Whether this push will make a difference remains to be seen. About 1% of Michigan residents chose to vote in person at the start of the August primary, with about half voting on Election Day and half voting absentee.

Rehana Mirza, a sophomore at MSU, said she doesn’t think re-registering in East Lansing is necessary. She had already received her absentee ballot and thought it would be easier to mail it to her hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

“It seems a little more complicated,” she said. “And I already had a plan to send my absentee ballot back, and I’ve done that before in local elections.”

Overall, MSU has seen a sharp increase in student enrollment. In 2016, about 63% of MSU students were registered to vote, data from the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement shows. In 2020, 91% of students registered.

And 2024 will likely exceed these percentages. Jen McAndrews, senior director of public affairs at Tufts University’s Tisch College, said that as of September 2024, more voters were registered in Michigan than were registered to vote on Election Day in 2020.

McAndrews pointed to Michigan’s strong election laws, such as automatic, online and same-day registration, as reasons for the increase in voter turnout.

“Young people are also very motivated to get out and vote when there is an issue they care about,” she said.

What issues motivate students to vote?

McAndrews said young people tend to be overlooked during election cycles. Historically, they are the least likely to go to the polls, and campaigns may decide to spend time and resources courting voters who show up on Election Day.

According to her, this election is different.

“Young people have the right to play a decisive role in elections in highly competitive swing states,” she said. “Companies know this, and in competitive races, campaigns try to reach more young voters because they need them.”

Barrett said he is trying to reach young voters about their concerns about their future and the economy, and he said he is doing more to ensure their success.

Hertel has primarily spoken out against abortion, climate change and gun violence.

Both address issues that are important to young voters. McAndrews said young people tend to be issue voters, not partisan voters, and care deeply about the economy and jobs, climate change, gun violence and reproductive rights.

Another big issue this election season for college-age voters that could impact turnout is the war between Israel and Hamas. Some voters passionate about the issue who might otherwise vote Democratic voted “no allegiance” in the presidential primaries in February to protest the Biden administration’s support for Israel during the ongoing conflict.

In Ingham County, 13% of Democratic primary voters voted for repudiation in Februaryin accordance with the national trend.

Contact Sarah Atwood at [email protected]. Follow her on X @sarahmatwood.