Nationally and locally, voting registration is primarily influenced by the younger generation, particularly college students, who oftentimes are not registered to vote in other areas besides their hometown.

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Local areas, including Erie County, face barriers with college students due to the lack of understanding of registration deadlines, where to register, ID requirements, and other information related to the voting process. State student guides, including The Campus Vote Project, provides college students guidelines that direct them to the state they live in as well as the steps in how to register to vote.

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Dr. Speel, Associate Professor of Political Science, discussed the importance of student voting and students being registered in areas where they attend school.

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“I don't know numbers, but I am guessing that half or more students who are registered to vote don't register at their campus area address, but register instead at the home where their parents live,” said Speel. “Most of those students end up never voting due to the need to keep track of several absentee ballot deadlines and to use postal mail. It is far easier to register and vote at a campus area location.”

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Speel emphasized that students who do not register in other areas besides home will encounter issues once they graduate and possibly move to locations distances away from their parent’s home. Election days tend to occur when students are still up at school, so it makes sense to vote in the community where you live a majority of the year, even if it might be temporary, said Speel.

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Students who don’t vote are oftentimes not exposed to voting opportunities through campus awareness. Speel offered the addition of polling places on campus to government officials, but they refused to buy machines for voting stations nor hire staff for polling places due to the lack of student voting in non-presidential elections.  

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“Student turnout is only high enough for a polling place in presidential elections,” said Speel. “If students registered and voted locally and voted every year, including in local and congressional elections, local leaders might be convinced of the need for a polling place on campus.”

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Behrend students also voiced their opinion in why the voting turnout among college campuses are low. Chris Grow, a senior Political Science major, is registered at home in North East, which is a part of Erie County.  JUMP Grow believes registering in the area where you attend school gives you the chance to have a voice in a place where officials will be making decisions affecting your day to day routine.

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“I think there’s a large group of people in this country that don’t care about elections that are lower than the presidential election, and even then you have people that don’t care,” said Grow. “It’s easy to just mail in your ballot, and if you’re only doing that once every four years, there isn’t much of a reason to register somewhere else.”

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Providing informational campaigns about issues that could be addressed in local politics would motivate students to get something done in the area, according to Grow, particularly issues related to the backed-up traffic on College Drive.

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Anthony Ventura, a senior Political Science major, although only registered at his home in New Castle, believes that student influence encourages what gets done around their school.

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“A lot of Behrend students who complain about Jordan Road being congested, for example, perhaps may not even be registered to vote in erie,” Ventura said. “Therefore, no one is going to pay attention to what the students want if they aren’t voting.”

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Although Behrend provides a home away from home for certain students who live outside Erie county, students might not feel inclined to vote locally in Erie if they intend to leave the area after graduation, according to Ventura, who also added that to some students, unless it’s ‘your home,’ you don’t care, and for some students, Erie is not considered their home. However, Ventura believes if students are attending a university for four years, they should feel encouraged to call Erie their second home and their voting decisions here can be just as effective as their voting decisions back home.

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With the recent Erie County Election results, Speel encourages students to vote in local elections instead of voicing their opinions to social media because the effectiveness will not be strong enough to reach government leaders.

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“Many students complain about decisions made by government leaders and then don't vote. The government leaders don't care about your social media posts, or online petition signatures, or even postal letters if you don't vote,” said Speel. “They do care if you do vote because they don't want to lose re-election.  Elected leaders are so attentive to the concerns and priorities of senior citizens because they vote.”

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Students can register to vote in PA online at votespa.com. Student groups also set up registration tables around campus prior to registration deadlines thirty days prior to an election. Behrend students are encouraged to register to vote at the campus address or in the campus area, where the worry of absentee ballot deadlines can be prevented.

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Strategically, students who vote in local or nationwide elections in locations where they attend school will ultimately affect not only the local area around them, but also the political climate of the campus community.