In the latest episode of Democracy’s Future, students at Illinois State University want more access to voting on Election Day.
The state added the general election date to the list of campus closures at state universities in 2020 and 2022, but not this year.
Members of both the Democrat and Republican parties on campus want ISU leaders to close the campus on Election Day on Nov. 5. They issued a joint statement asking the university to make the change, citing long lines that have become common on election days at ISU.
“In 2022, more Illinois State University had over 1,200 individuals register on the day of elections,” the statement read. “This number is astonishing for a midterm election in the United States. Students stood in line for hours, and will not be able to do the same this fall if there are classes.”
President of the College Democrats Delaney Reynolds said the idea for the request came from the Democrats, but they feel the bipartisan statement would have more of an impact.
“I think having the day off, it’s a right as a human being and as a college students even more so,” Reynolds said. “Our university that expresses how much they care about civic engagement should really be pushing for that.”
Braiden Gonzalez with the College Republicans said he believes that would boost voter turnout for both parties.
“I’m a college student so I’ll be honest, a lot of us can be lazy, do things last second,” Gonzalez said, adding he doesn’t see the youth vote will inherently be a Democratic advantage as it’s typically been.
“Most people here on campus will reflect leftist politics, but I think just because society has made them this way. I think we can convince a lot of folks to switch (parties),” he said.
A university spokesperson says the university follows the civil service holiday schedule set by the state.
“Academic calendars are currently set through 2031 but can be revisited as needed, keeping in mind the timely impacts to course planning and instruction,” university spokesperson Chris Coplan said.
Reynolds said the ISU administration claims the university doesn't need to cancel classes on Election Day because students can vote early.
She said she expects students will need to prepare for long lines again.
“There’s no way around that I don’t think, unless we get another polling site on campus, which I think is something we can all start to advocate for,” Reynolds said.
Both political groups said they are encouraging all students to vote early.
In our next episode, we'll hear from a group of young women who are trying to find their voice in politics.
Please give us your feedback on this series, and let us know if there are certain issues you'd like us to explore. Email us at news@wglt.org.
Subscribe to Democracy’s Future on the NPR App or wherever you get your podcasts. For a full transcript, visit this episode on Apple Podcasts.
