Forget the Flyers: How Colleges Can Increase Student Voter Turnout
If you’re working on student voter turnout, and you’re still relying on stapled posters and one-off tabling events to improve student voter turnout, you’re unlikely to see the impact you’re hoping for. Stickers and reminders to "go vote" don't move the needle when students face real barriers to casting a ballot.
Here's how higher ed institutions can drive lasting student voter turnout by addressing the obstacles that actually keep young people from the polls:
Why Student Voter Turnout Matters in Every Election
The strength and integrity of our democracy require sustained civic engagement through every election year, not just when the Presidency is up for decision.
Historically, student voters have remained an untapped demographic of the electorate across all elections. Yet local elections often have the most immediate impact on students’ lives, shaping everything from public transit and housing policy to how their colleges are funded.
Colleges are equipped to change this. With thousands of newly eligible voters concentrated in one place, a campus that takes student voter turnout seriously can reach first-time voters right as they’re starting to form voting habits. And because voting is habit-forming, a student who votes once is far more likely to keep voting for the rest of their life.
Improving student voter turnout starts with understanding why young people don't vote in the first place.
Why Student Voter Turnout Stays Low: 3 Key Barriers
Research shows that the most prevalent reasons young people don't vote fall into three categories: under-education on the process, financial and time barriers, and disillusionment with current political systems.
Despite 8 in 10 young people saying they are interested in politics and plan to vote, less than half of them actually follow through with it. 31% of youth who didn't vote said they were either too busy, had conflicts or commitments, or just simply didn't have enough information.
1. Education Gap
Many young voters simply lack the information they need to participate confidently, like where to register, what's on their ballot, how to request a mail-in ballot, or what their local offices even do. For first-time voters navigating an unfamiliar process, that information gap is one of the single biggest drags on student voter turnout.
2. Resource Constraints
Of the youth who cited missed registration deadlines or simply a general lack of time as their reason for not voting, it was found that this group was also twice as likely to have trouble making ends meet. Rather than concentrating on civic education and engagement, these voters are focused on their busy class schedules, extracurricular activities, and getting and maintaining jobs to stay afloat.
These students are juggling packed class schedules, extracurriculars, and jobs that keep them afloat. When voting demands extra time, transportation, or a trek through a confusing registration system, it competes directly with the daily work of simply getting by. Too often, it loses.
3. Disillusionment With the System
Researchers at the University of California found that ultimately, “many young voters appear to share a belief that fractured, dysfunctional government systems are incapable of addressing critical challenges that fall heavily on their generations.” Whether it be due to the subjects of racial inequality, climate change, national housing crises, or even AI, it was found that this demographic of voters is pessimistic about their futures. The challenge for institutions is helping them understand that they have the power and potential to change our country for the better, starting with their vote.
How to Increase Student Voter Turnout: Start in the Classroom
The first and most meaningful way to help youth voters overcome these hurdles, and boost student voter turnout, is to educate them.
Researchers for the NAACP found that when civic education is introduced into the classroom, young people are shown the skills they need to get involved in their communities. By presenting practical objectives that foster tangible differences on their college campuses, in their local neighborhoods, and across their communities, students see firsthand how civic engagement has the power to enact real change.
Crucially, this works best when it starts local. Jumping straight into national politics can be discouraging when a distant candidate doesn't deliver. When students see how city councils and school boards shape their daily lives, civic participation stops feeling abstract, and that understanding carries over into higher student voter turnout at every level of the ballot.
Practical Steps Colleges Can Take to Boost Student Voter Turnout
Education sets the foundation, but turnout ultimately comes down to removing friction. Here are a few ways campuses can make voting easier:
Simplify voter registration.
Make registration available at orientation, in dorms, and online through your campus portal. Since students move frequently, remind them they often need to re-register at their new address.
Demystify mail-in and absentee ballots.
Many out-of-state students don't vote simply because they don't know how to request, complete, and return an absentee ballot in time. Clear, deadline-specific guidance closes that gap.
Publicize deadlines.
Registration deadlines, early voting windows, and Election Day logistics vary by state. Surfacing the right dates for each student removes one of the most common turnout barriers.
Connect voting to campus issues.
Show students how local and state offices affect issues already on their mind, like tuition, housing, transit, and safety.
Make a voting plan the norm.
Students who decide in advance when, where, and how they'll vote follow through at far higher rates.
Each of these steps chips away at the barriers above, but coordinating them across a whole campus can be resource-heavy and time-consuming. That's where the right tool makes the difference.
A Campus Tool Built to Drive Student Voter Turnout
That's where BallotReady comes in.
We built Civic Center, a resource with the functionality to address the three barriers to student voter turnout: it combats undereducation by putting clear, personalized voting information in one place, it makes civic participation accessible to students juggling work and class, and it demonstrates how one person can make a real impact on the world they wish to see.
With Civic Center, students can easily:
Register to vote
Request and return a mail-in ballot
Contact their representatives
Research their ballots
Make a plan to vote
Explore opportunities to run for office
By implementing Civic Center, colleges and universities have the ability to increase student voter turnout and build a more diverse, engaged electorate. The payoff extends well beyond a single election: campuses that make voting easy today are shaping lifelong voters tomorrow.
Ready to forget the flyers and increase student voter turnout on your campus?
Request a quick demo with our team to explore how BallotReady can support your campus.