Throughout Fall Term, a number of Lawrence organizations, student and staff alike, have been promoting voter registration both on- and off-campus for the upcoming U.S. election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Assistant Director of Student Activities and Support for Student Organizations Aaron Wojciechowski of the Office of Student Engagement, Activities and Leadership (SEAL) considers voting especially important for young people because it is how we can help initiate change at every level of government.
Wojciechowski and Lawrence University Democrats (LU Dems) vice president junior Sam Brewer said though young voters have historically had a lower turnout rate than older voters, this trend is beginning to change as Gen Z becomes increasingly active in politics, resulting in the younger vote becoming more properly represented in government than it has been in the past. Because of this recent shift coupled with Wisconsin’s swing-state status, Brewer considers the college student demographic to hold a “tremendous” amount of power in deciding elections.
Brewer quoted the approximately 21,000-vote margin in which Wisconsin was decided in the 2020 U.S. election. This translates to two or three votes to an electoral ward, and with Appleton being divided into 15 wards, he claimed that about 30 Appleton votes had the sway to flip the state either way. It is for this reason he believes Lawrentians hold a uniquely great power when voting in Wisconsin. Wojciechowski believes that many students know Wisconsin is a competitive state in this election, and those coming from states where their vote may not have as much as an impact have the opportunity to vote in a state where their vote has more sway.
This election will be the first in over a decade in which Wisconsin has “fair” legislative district maps, according to Brewer, quoting that in 2023 the Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruled that the 2020 Republican-drawn maps were an unconstitutional gerrymandering technique and have since been redrawn in a more nonpartisan fashion. LU Dems social chair, junior Megan Eisenstein, said these new maps give candidates more fair shots for positions at the state level.
In the past, the Center for Community Engagement & Social Change (CCE) had spearheaded much of the election-related activity on campus. This term, the Office of SEAL has absorbed the CCE, according to Wojciechowski, and has taken on the responsibility of providing voter registration information as well as nonpartisan information on candidates at all levels of government. SEAL has recently been tabling, partnering with student organization voter registration efforts and hosting nonpartisan groups encouraging registration on campus. Wojciechowski said that these efforts are imperative to a politically engaged campus because many students are not from Wisconsin and are unaware that they can re-register to vote in this state. The LU Dems and other Lawrence student groups have been organizing similar voter registration efforts. The Student Alliance Against Sexual Harassment and Assault (SAASHA), in collaboration with Planned Parenthood, has been hosting a voting information table each Wednesday since the beginning of October from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Warch Campus Center (WCC). Similarly, Alianza and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) recently tabled with off-campus group Wisco Votes to provide Lawrentians with voting-related resources.
The LU Dems’ most recent tabling session was a collaboration with the Appleton Area chapter of National Organization for Women. At the event, 34 Lawrence students registered to vote in Wisconsin, according to LU Dems president senior Louisa Olsen. She said the organization hopes to host another similar event before Election Day.
Eisenstein said alumni members of the LU Dems plan to return to Lawrence to vote due to Wisconsin’s nature as a competitive state. She claims their return to campus highlights the importance of the Lawrentian voice in the way the state will swing this upcoming election.
Olsen said the LU Dems plan to do an early voting event, where the club will walk with attendees to the Appleton City Hall to cast their votes early. Olsen considers early voting important to Lawrentians because it is a way to fit voting into college students’ busy schedules. She said Nov. 5 falling on a school day can be a barrier for younger people to vote — and therefore make their voice heard in politics — on Election Day in a way older voters have more flexibility in. She said because of this, early voting allows students to cast their ballot on their own time and, therefore, is a way students can overcome this obstacle.
Olsen added that the LU Dems are going to bring some down-ballot candidates into their meeting in hopes of motivating Lawrentians to vote through in-person engagement. Wojciechowski emphasized the importance of voting for these local candidates because he believes that the most immediate change happens at the community level rather than at that of state or national.
“It’s not just the President who makes every decision,” Wojciechowski stated.
The LU Dems’ efforts have taken them off campus and into the Appleton community. Brewer said the organization takes part in canvassing activities four days a week, including going door-to-door and making phone calls, to engage with Appleton voters and provide them with information on election-related topics. Brewer pointed to their “pop-up parades” — where LU Dems members, in conjunction with members of the Democratic Party of Outagamie County (DPOC), hold up signs on College Avenue during heavy traffic hours — as another way the LU Dems are trying to motivate the community around Lawrence to vote. He said the parades are not only a way to interact with the larger community, but also to speak with Lawrentian passersby about their election-related plans.
Wojciechowski hopes that Lawrentians that may be skeptical of voting in the upcoming presidential election vote for candidates that align best with their beliefs, or at least consider voting for their local candidates.
“No candidate is going to represent all of your values,” Wojciechowski said. “It’s choosing the candidate that best fits your values, and who can get you closest to [your] desired outcomes.”
According to Wojciechowski, Lawrence is recognized as a voter-friendly campus by the All-In Campus Democracy Challenge and is the winner of the Wisconsin Campus Voting Challenge for being the four-year institution in Wisconsin with the highest voter registration rate at approximately 90 percent of students. He said Lawrence is a very engaged campus, and that is something we should be proud of. That said, Eisenstein said that it is important to keep the excitement surrounding the election going.
“I feel like a lot of people are overconfident because they see the momentum on social media, especially with [the Harris-Walz campaign], but we just want to implore that people don’t let their guard down,” Eisenstein said. “Don’t look at the polls and […][believe] ‘I don’t need to do anything’ because […] if you want the polls to become true, you have to vote to get them to be true.”
The LU Dems and SEAL encouraged Lawrentians who do not know how to navigate voting registration to reach out to peers for assistance and utilize both on- and off-campus research resources. Both the LU Dems and Wojciechowski on behalf of the Office of SEAL said Lawrentians can direct their registration-related questions to them.
“This [election] is our future, not just our present,” Eisenstein declared.
Early voting opened two weeks before Election Day on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at Appleton City Hall and lasts until Friday, Nov. 1. Same-day registration is also an option after this window is up. For both instances, Lawrentians need to bring a printed and signed Lawrence voter identification to register, which can be found on Voyager by clicking Student Services and then Printable Voter Information. Proof of residence for all students has already been provided to the Appleton City Clerk’s office by the university in the form of a Certified Housing Document. The Office of SEAL will be providing shuttles to and from voting locations on Election Day.