Free Press Indiana, the sponsoring organization for Mirror Indy, is partnering this election with media outlets and journalists across Indiana, telling stories that otherwise would not be told. Ollie Fitzgerald is a reporter with the Butler Collegian.
Maddie Wood was eager to apply for an absentee ballot.
The junior at Butler University is registered to vote in Texas, and even though she’s enrolled in college in Indiana, she wanted to make sure her voice was heard in this year’s election.
“I think voting right now is going to have the biggest impact on (our generation) because this is the world we’re going to live in for the next few years,” Wood said. “I’m excited to vote for the first time because I get to have a say (and) put my opinions and thoughts out there to try and make a difference.”
Wood found the Texas rules and requirements regarding absentee voting to be confusing and unclear.
Texas’ state website for absentee ballot applications never mentioned anything about college students, Wood said, nor did it provide easily accessible information for people living out of state. Instead, she said the website catered more to those who are elderly and/or disabled.
“I had to mark that I was out of the county since two summers ago and I had to put that I won’t be home till next summer,” Wood said. “It’s weird I can’t just say that I’m in college.”
Wood also explained that she ran into several “dead-ends” when calling phone numbers on the application website while trying to figure out how to get a ballot. When Wood finally figured out how to apply for an absentee ballot, she sent in the online application like the website had told her to do.
Two days later, Wood received an email that explained she needed to also send a paper application within two days of sending the digital one. By that point, it was too late, and the absentee ballot was declined. Wood had to start the application process all over again.
Wood is one of an estimated 66 million Americans who requested mail-in ballots for this year’s election, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida. She’s part of a trend of increased voter participation for young adults, with the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School reporting that 79% of young people (voters under 30) whose friends are voting also intend to vote in this year’s general election.
That’s the continuation of action that emerged with the 2020 presidential election. According to the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education at Tufts University, the 2020 national student voting record rate hit 66%, up from the 52% rate recorded in the 2016 presidential election.
But getting a ballot cast can be challenging, depending on where and when students are trying to vote. Many out-of-state college students struggle to navigate the rules and restrictions around absentee voting.
Rhea Meyerscough, a political science professor at Butler University, teaches a class called “Voting and Elections in the United States.” The course focuses on the 2024 election and the factors that determine the outcomes of it, to further educate students about what these outcomes mean for U.S. democracy.
“Exercising power is ultimately the point of voting,” Meyerscough said. “It’s not about your individual vote tipping the election one way or another, it’s about groups of people knowing how to make the government respond to their needs.”
Meyerscough encourages young voters, like college students, to be politically active and civically engaged through voting. To do that, students must know what each state’s voter registration deadlines, absentee ballot rules and voting restrictions are.
At Butler, more than half of the students enrolled are from out of state and will have the opportunity to vote in their first presidential election.
Monica Forbes, a junior biology and French double major at Butler, also experienced a lack of clarity when applying for and receiving an absentee ballot. Forbes is from the Chicago area and previously had no issues voting absentee in the 2022 midterm.
To apply for an absentee ballot in Illinois, Forbes only had to look up the application for an absentee ballot in her county and fill out her information to get it mailed to Butler. Forbes said that she received a follow-up email that her ballot would be delivered by the end of September at the latest.
“I don’t have any updates (my ballot), so signing up was clear, but I have (no idea) where my ballot is,” Forbes said. “I called the office who said (the ballots) were sent out and they would come by the end of this week or more likely next week, (but I just) don’t know.”
Forbes suggested implementing a system for those who request absentee ballots to help them keep track of their ballots in the mail and reassure people that their ballots are actually on their way.
“I’m kind of in the dark right now,” Forbes said. “If they were more clear about what the process looks like while waiting (for a ballot, the whole) system would be more effective.”
Even after students like Wood navigated the absentee ballot process, there are still concerns regarding the voting process and if the mailing systems will work correctly. In early October, Wood received her do-over ballot in the mail after completing the application process for a second time.
“It’s good to have (my ballot)in my hands after this long process,” Wood said. “I’m now worried that my ballot (could) get lost in the mail or that something’s going to go wrong. It’s been such a long process, as opposed to going and voting (in-person) like (local students) can.”
Wood also encourages states and institutions to do a better job of making the voting process clear to young people and students.
“I feel like (students) need to have our voices heard and we need to know what to do (to vote) because it’s confusing,” Wood said. “There’s a lot of resources online (like to) learn how to register, but when it comes to actually learning things like requesting a ballot it’s too hard.”
Wood said that learning processes like how to vote absentee should be taught to students, or at least be accessible in a clearer way. Without the input of student voters, a large percentage of young people’s votes and voices would not be heard.
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