The Hidden Fight Over the Youth Vote

When freshman Maggie Flaherty arrived at Dartmouth College in 2017, registering to vote was one of the first things she did. Originally from California, she knew she’d be spending most of her time in New Hampshire and was excited to get involved in the politics there.

Registering to vote was an easy process, thanks to an on-campus event hosted by both college Democrats and Republicans. But it wasn’t long before things got complicated.

This past fall, a law took effect requiring new voters in the state to get New Hampshire driver’s licenses and auto registrations. Supporters say it will prevent voter fraud and voting by people who aren’t really residents of the state. College students, in particular, they say, often don’t remain after they graduate, so they shouldn’t be considered residents for voting purposes.

“Currently, an individual who . . . does not have any real intention of making New Hampshire their home may vote in our elections while avoiding the obligations that all other residents must meet,” Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican, said in 2018.

But critics argue that these fees are the equivalent of a poll tax, as a new license costs $50 and vehicle registration can cost hundreds. This law, they say, is an attempt to suppress the votes of college students who are trying to register in their new homes.

Maggie Flaherty arrived as a freshman at Dartmouth College in 2017. She was excited to get involved in politics. She knew she’d be spending more of her time at school in New Hampshire than back home in California. That’s why registering to vote was one of the first things she did when she got to campus.

College Democrats and Republicans hosted a joint on-campus event. That helped make it easier for students to register to vote. But it wasn’t long before things got complicated.

This past fall, a law took effect requiring new voters in the state to get New Hampshire driver’s licenses and auto registrations. Supporters say it will prevent voter fraud and voting by people who aren’t really residents of the state. They also say that college students shouldn’t be considered residents for voting purposes. Their position is rooted in the fact that college students often don’t stay after they graduate.

“Currently, an individual who . . . does not have any real intention of making New Hampshire their home may vote in our elections while avoiding the obligations that all other residents must meet,” Governor Chris Sununu,
a Republican, said in 2018.

A new license costs $50 and vehicle registration can cost hundreds. Critics argue that these fees are the same as poll taxes. This law, they say, is an attempt to suppress the votes of college students who are trying to register in their new homes.

The story in New Hampshire is just one example of a political drama playing out nationwide: After decades of treating elections as an afterthought, college students have begun voting in force. Their turnout in the 2018 midterms was 40 percent, more than double the rate from the 2014 midterms. Energized by issues like climate change and gun violence, students have suddenly emerged as a potentially crucial voting bloc in the 2020 general election. And more than two-thirds of them in 2018 voted for Democrats, according to exit polling data.

In many states, students are starting to run into roadblocks, often put in place by Republican lawmakers. In addition to viewing students as non-residents, officials say they’re raising barriers to election fraud. But Democrats argue that no evidence of widespread fraud in any recent elections has come to light. And some Republicans haven’t tried to hide their motivations; as early as 2011, New Hampshire’s Republican House speaker, William O’Brien, promised to clamp down on unrestricted voting by students, calling them “kids voting liberal, voting their feelings, with no life experience.”

The story in New Hampshire is just one example of a political drama playing out nationwide. For decades, college students have treated elections as an afterthought. Now, they’ve begun voting in force. Their turnout in the 2018 midterms was 40 percent, more than double the rate from the 2014 midterms. More than two-thirds of them in 2018 voted for Democrats, according to exit polling data. Students have suddenly become a potentially crucial voting bloc in the 2020 general election. This time around, they’re energized by issues like climate change and gun violence.

In many states, students are starting to run into roadblocks. These hurdles often have been put in place by Republican lawmakers. In addition to viewing students as non-residents, officials say they’re raising barriers to election fraud. But Democrats argue that no evidence of widespread fraud in any recent elections has come to light. And some Republicans haven’t tried to hide their motivations. As early as 2011, New Hampshire’s Republican House speaker, William O’Brien, promised to clamp down on unrestricted voting by students. He called them “kids voting liberal, voting their feelings, with no life experience.”

Other states have recently joined New Hampshire in enacting laws that make it harder for students to vote.

In Florida, which is expected to be a key battleground state in the 2020 election, a new law essentially eliminates college campuses as early-voting sites by requiring them to offer “sufficient” nonpermitted parking, which campuses lack. In Texas, temporary early-voting sites on campuses were outlawed in 2019 because they weren’t open for the entire 12-day early-voting period. And last year, North Carolina enacted a voter ID law that technically allowed student ID cards at the polls, but its requirements were so cumbersome that universities were unable to comply. Even though the rules were later relaxed, much confusion remains—and critics say the damage may already be done.

“College students have packed schedules, and even though we’re excited to vote, anything that makes that process more complicated, any kind of perceived barriers . . . will prevent students from going out to actually vote,” Flaherty, the Dartmouth student, now 20, says.

Young people spend a majority of their time in the state where they’re studying, she adds, and they want to have a say in the laws that govern their daily lives.

Since 2010, 25 states have enacted new voting restrictions. Eighteen of those states were controlled by Republicans and three by Democrats.*

Other states have recently joined New Hampshire in enacting laws that make it harder for students to vote.

That includes Florida, which is expected to be a key battleground state in the 2020 election. There, a new law essentially eliminates college campuses as early-voting sites by requiring them to offer “sufficient” nonpermitted parking. Campuses lack that type of parking. In Texas, temporary early-voting sites on campuses were outlawed in 2019 because they weren’t open for the entire 12-day early-voting period. And last year, North Carolina enacted a voter ID law that technically allowed student ID cards at the polls. But the law’s requirements were so complex that universities were unable to comply. Even though the rules were later relaxed, much confusion remains. Critics say the damage may already be done.

“College students have packed schedules, and even though we’re excited to vote, anything that makes that process more complicated, any kind of perceived barriers . . . will prevent students from going out to actually vote,” says Flaherty, the Dartmouth student, now 20.

Young people spend a majority of their time in the state where they’re studying, she adds. They want to have a say in the laws that govern their daily lives.

Since 2010, 25 states have enacted new voting restrictions. Eighteen of those states were controlled by Republicans and three by Democrats.

Experts say that these restrictions, even if they’re meant to be fair, tend to have a disproportionate effect on those who have just turned 18.

“These laws that look like they have good reasoning behind them and are applied to everyone just end up being bigger hurdles for young people,” says Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “They’re trying to establish their voting habits, but they’re also being challenged because they’re often in transition.”

In some states, advocates for student voting have fought the restrictions. In New Hampshire, for example, Flaherty and a classmate, Caroline Casey, are plaintiffs in a lawsuit aiming to overturn the state’s residency requirements. There’s also a federal lawsuit over Florida’s parking requirements.

While those efforts could help students, many advocates say lawmakers should be working together and doing more to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.

“Everyone 18 years and older has a right, if not a duty, to participate in our electoral system,” says Maxim Thorne, managing director of the Andrew Goodman Foundation, which promotes youth political engagement. “We should be having conversations about how to make it easier, how to make it more welcoming, how to make it worthy of our time and effort. And what we’re seeing is the reverse.”

Experts say that these restrictions, even if they’re meant to be fair, tend to have an unequal effect on those who have just turned 18.

“These laws that look like they have good reasoning behind them and are applied to everyone just end up being bigger hurdles for young people,” says Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “They’re trying to establish their voting habits, but they’re also being challenged because they’re often in transition.”

In some states, advocates for student voting have fought the restrictions. In New Hampshire, for example, Flaherty and a classmate, Caroline Casey, are plaintiffs in a lawsuit aiming to overturn the state’s residency requirements. There’s also a federal lawsuit over Florida’s parking requirements.

Those efforts could help students. Still, many advocates say lawmakers should be working together and doing more to ensure everyone’s voice is heard.

“Everyone 18 years and older has a right, if not a duty, to participate in our electoral system,” says Maxim Thorne, managing director of the Andrew Goodman Foundation, which promotes youth political engagement. “We should be having conversations about how to make it easier, how to make it more welcoming, how to make it worthy of our time and effort. And what we’re seeing is the reverse.”