Julia Guerrein, Editor-in-Chief

November 6, the date of the midterm election in the U.S., is quickly approaching. The deadline for voter registration in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, October 9. Last Tuesday, September 25, was National Voter Registration Day.

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On National Voter Registration Day, a number of social media platforms helped spread the word. Snapchat sent a message to users alerting them of the day; the Google Doodle said “Register to Vote” and by clicking on the “Google Doodle”, information was revealed with instructions regarding how to register online. Youtube featured National Voter Registration Day on their homepage, and Facebook has been pushing a feature that lets users know if their friends are registered to vote. Twitter’s #BeAVoter campaign featured special emojis and prompts that encourage users to register. Looking at the intersection of art and politics and fashion, Beyonce fans were able to register to vote at the On The Run II Tour while Levi Strauss registered voters at participating locations. CEOs from multiple companies, including Walmart, Southwest, Kaiser Permanente, and Tyson, agreed to give employees time off to vote through Time to Vote.

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The New York Times reported in late August that Pennsylvania was the state leading in new voter registration, particularly among young people, which demographic is characterized as those under 30 years old.

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Robert Speel, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science at Penn State Behrend, explained the importance of young people’s involvement in the upcoming election. “Because most young adults have been voting Democrat in recent elections, while most senior citizens have been voting Republican,” said Speel, “a high turnout among young adults would likely be a major boost for Democrats in the midterm.” Increased voter turnout, coupled with PA’s new districts, could have a major impact on which candidates are voted in on November 6.

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Erie County is one of the key places where redistricting along with an increased voter turnout from young people could lose the incumbent, Representative Mike Kelly (R), his seat to Democratic candidate, Attorney Ron DiNicola. PA Governor Tom Wolf (D) is also up for reelection and is facing off against Republican candidate Scott Wagner who has been endorsed by President Trump.

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The current state of the federal government, along with the increase of awareness regarding political events such as the Parkland Shooting, is expected to draw in more voters as well. Since the Parkland Shooting, the New York Times reported that Pennsylvania residents, under 30 years of age, jumped from less than half to two-thirds of total new voter registrations. Other events, such as the recent Supreme Court confirmation process, could draw in people to vote who have not in the past because, historically, young people are unlikely to vote.

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“In recent midterms, around 40 percent of eligible voters have voted, including about half of senior citizens and only about 20 percent of adults under age 30,” said Speel. “If even 30 percent of young adults vote this year, that could have a significant impact on the results.” Although a small increase in voter turnout could cause a major shift in the outcomes of races, it is not guaranteed by any means. Speel continued: “I don’t know yet what will happen--the Parkland students are making an effort to boost turnout among young voters, but such efforts have been tried in the past, not always successfully.”

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Generally, young people -- particularly college students -- face unique barriers in regards to voting. Many students attend school in a different area than where they are registered which means they must either re-register at school. The options when faced with a dilemma such is this, is that the individual must either send in an absentee ballot or go home for voting day. Voting is also a new occurrence for young people which is, generally, not the case for older Americans.

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“Most young adults don’t vote because they are not used to voting,” explained Speel. “They haven’t done it before and may be less likely to research the candidates, know the polling place locations, or be registered to vote as opposed to older voters.”

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Speel also cites the perception that voting is not important: “Many younger adults also insist wrongly that their votes don’t matter.”

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Education about voting and knowledge of the candidates is also a key part of the voting process. Since smartphones have become more popular, young people are more likely to access the news and research candidates on their phones whereas older Americans tend to stick to both broadcast news and local newspapers as their source of information.

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“As I teach students, people who pay attention, get involved, and vote get what they want out of government (such as senior citizens), while people who don’t pay attention and refuse or forget to vote lose out,” Speel said.

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Pennsylvania residents can either register to vote online or mail a paper registration to their respective voter registration office. Both online and in-person registration forms can be found online at https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx.