Across the country, voter engagement during the Midterm Elections is significantly lower than in the General Elections. While the every-four-year elections see more interest and engagement, the Midterms have an impact on citizens’ everyday lives. And if there’s one state where this is felt the most, it’s Georgia.
Dr. Teri Platt is Associate Professor of Public Administration, Director of the Isabella T. Jenkins Honors Program, and the faculty lead for Clark Atlanta University’s campus voting initiative, called CAU Votes. She explains: “The most important elections happen during the midterm cycle. It’s when we elect everyone who will have a direct impact on our lives.”
For Clark Atlanta University and fellow Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC) schools Morehouse College and Spelman College, getting students registered and engaged so they can maximize their impact during these elections is crucial.
Barriers to Student Voting
New laws passed since the last Presidential election make it more difficult for people to register to vote in Georgia – especially students. Dr. Platt explains: “For many students, if they aren’t from Georgia, they aren’t aware how these laws can impact their voter engagement. And since this is the first election that these laws have been in place, even those who are from Georgia don’t realize the barriers are there until they hit them.”
What are those barriers? To start, having Student ID from private colleges and universities is not sufficient for registration or in-person voting. Only a deputy registrar (who must complete state-certified training) can help someone fill out an application to register.
And, this year, early voting was only available for two days total on campuses — a restriction with a serious impact on college student participation. “We know from data that for Georgia specifically, about 80% or more of college students vote on their campus during early voting days if there’s a voting place on campus,” says Dr. Platt. “Not having a voting location suppresses student voter engagement.”
“You can get people to come out on-site to register to vote, but I have found that rallies do not turn into voter engagement.” Instead, she says, personal connections and conversations are the drivers behind getting people to turn out to vote
To overcome these barriers, Clark Atlanta University and the AUCC partnered with Motivote to get students involved and track their progress leading up to Election Day.
Votecoming at CAU
The idea for Votecoming came just a couple of weeks after CAU kicked off its National Voter Registration Day activities. Within a week, they put together an event designed to inform and engage students across the three AUCC campuses.
Taking place during Clark Atlanta University’s homecoming and a week before Morehouse College and Spelman College’s homecoming celebrations, Votecoming was the perfect opportunity to get knowledge and information out to the campus community. It took place in a central location, was powered by the brand PUMA, and featured the Atlanta Hawks cheerleaders, a DJ, and subsidized food trucks.
But perhaps the most valuable part of the event was the five different voter organizations that took part, along with the Fulton County Board of Elections mobile voting device. This allowed students to register to vote and get voter IDs printed on the spot. It also included sample ballots and voting machines so students could get an idea of what to expect. And for Dr. Platt and the CAU team, using Motivote was the perfect opportunity to track engagement across campuses during the event.
Going Beyond Voter Registration
While Votecoming was a success — with an estimated 2,000 students reached — Dr. Platt says that events and voter registration pushes are only half the battle.
“You can get people to come out on-site to register to vote, but I have found that rallies do not turn into voter engagement.” Instead, she says, personal connections and conversations are the drivers behind getting people to turn out to vote. And for that, she looks toward Motivote. “Motivote is that personal appeal. You can connect with friends and family through the app.”
“We have a lot of work to do, but it’s good work,” says Dr. Platt. “It’s honest work and it’s rewarding to see students you know vote for the first time. Making it a positive experience so that they continue to get engaged and so they know what kind of information they need to stay empowered to be lifelong voters.”
What Dr. Platt enjoys most about Motivote is how it empowers students. She shares, “Motivote has been very helpful if just to let students know: hey, here’s a resource for information, even if you don’t use it to register to vote. It’s still a great tool for casting a ballot and that’s what I value about the app.”
With Motivote, students living in states like Georgia can take charge of their voter registration and engagement process themselves. They can go straight to the Secretary of State’s website, get reminders about their voter status, and details on where they need to go to vote. “They’re empowered with information and it’s coming directly to them.”
Raising the Future Political Candidates for Georgia
For Dr. Platt, civic and voter engagement is personal — she keeps poll tax receipts (voting fees that prohibited African Americans from voting) as a reminder of the individual sacrifice of those who came before her.
In a state such as Georgia, knowledge and information is key. “I have a responsibility to be informed and to be accurate,” she shared. “When I get the information, I should share it with others to make sure that they can move forward with a similar level of confidence.”
She keeps the Fulton County Board of Elections number on speed-dial for help with interpreting the law. She’s the only deputy registrar on the Clark Atlanta University campus. And she regularly calls on her national network of leaders of other HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in states like North Carolina and Alabama.
“We have a lot of work to do, but it’s good work,” says Dr. Platt. “It’s honest work and it’s rewarding to see students you know vote for the first time. Making it a positive experience so that they continue to get engaged and so they know what kind of information they need to stay empowered to be lifelong voters.”