By Kyle Jackson
This year’s midterms are shaping up to be one of the most controversial elections to date, with actions from the current administration’s candidates and public opinions feeding the flames.
Midterm elections often draw significantly lower young voter turnout compared to main elections, reaching only 27% during the 2022 midterms compared to the 47% of young voters in the 2020 presidential election.
With the election coming up fast on Tues., Nov. 3, The Collegiate asked Grand Rapids Community College students about their voting plans.
Lyndsey Bandlow, 19, a theater major at GRCC, said that they do feel like it’s important to vote, but some students feel that their single vote doesn’t add anything to elections.
“ …It’s easy to believe that you’re just one person…(that) my vote doesn’t matter, ’cause I’m just one person and there’s millions (of voters),” Bandlow said. “I think because so many people think that there’s just probably maybe even hundreds of thousands of people who don’t vote, and they just… that’s just a completely untapped demographic of people. And so the results of the voting could be skewed way more in one way, and we just don’t know because we don’t vote.”
Other students shared the same sentiment, feeling that while voting is important, it often feels like your choice means nothing compared to a nation’s worth of people.
Nursing major Emily Bedolla, 18, stated that she thinks, “People know how to vote, but they just go by what other people do.”
Some students shared some advice for other students who are first-time voters.
“Don’t be swayed by your parents, vote for what you feel is a good (candidate),” said GRCC Business major Courtney Zuidema, 32.
Information surrounding voting also has played a major role in how young voters view voting.
Jordan Kaul, 20, a communications major at GRCC, stated that she reaches out to the people around her for information.
“I reach out to loved ones, people I agree and don’t agree with. I kind of ask them what they heard and what they think and why and where they heard that, why it’s reliable,” Kaul said.
Kaul also uses social media to research candidates, but remains very cautious with what she believes.
Bandlow said that they plan on researching candidates closer to the election.
“I’m planning to (research), when we get closer to the actual voting date, to look up people and then their main policies,” Bandlow said, adding that they already know about U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.
However, there were some students who stated that they weren’t planning to vote due to the political state of the country.
”I think there is a song that addressed this, and the beginning of it says, ‘we’re in a car on fire, and nobody’s at the wheel, the world is rolling downhill.’ I think the show is over,” said Charles Wortz, 26, a freshman at GRCC.
Some students also expressed that they have had some difficulty getting started to register.
“I want to vote. I just turned 18, so I haven’t looked into how to do it yet and a little lost on how to register, but I will eventually and do plan on voting,” said Kennedy Little, 18, a health and exercise science major.
In Michigan, registering to vote can be done online and via mail, up to 15 days prior to an election, and in person, up to and on the day of an election.
While it’s too late to register online for the midterms, in-person registration can be completed at your local clerk’s office, military recruitment center, town hall, or any other official office.
To be eligible to register, you must present some form of identification such as a photo ID, your Social Security number, or any other proof of Michigan residency. Additionally, you must be 18 years or older, be a citizen, and not be currently serving a prison or jail sentence.
Visit Michigan’s voting information page for more voter information.
Collegiate reporters Janelle Xayamongkhoun, Zoey Kuhn, Litany Gaines, Olivia Prindle, and Rowan Elzinga contributed to this story.
