Leading up to the presidential election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, students at Grand Valley State University may have the ability to collectively sway the vote in Michigan.

According to GVSU’s Fall 2024 Enrollment Report, there are over 10,000 new and returning students from the Western Michigan area, which will make the University’s voting population a significant contribution to regional voting tallies. As a result of the large number of students from West Michigan, there are three Michigan counties that will be most affected by student participation this election season.

For those registered to vote in Ottawa County, there is a clear chance to make a change in the political landscape. In Kent County, many commuter students, specifically those registered in Grand Rapids, will see their votes play a role in the electoral process. A third area, Michigan’s District 8, may also be heavily impacted by GVSU voter participation. District 8 is a region in Central Michigan made up of Bay, Genesse, Saginaw, Midland and Tuscola Counties. There are nearly 8,000 new and returning students from around the Central Michigan area, according to the report.

There have been numerous efforts made at GVSU’s campuses to register more students to vote in this upcoming election. GVSU Votes! is a student-led organization dedicated to helping every eligible student on campus register to vote in time for the 2024 election. GVSU Votes works toward educating students about their right to vote.

Melissa Baker-Boosamra, the associate director of Civic Engagement and Assessment for the Office of Student Life, also acts as the staff advisor for GVSU Votes. Boomsamra is determined to have students’ voices heard in the upcoming election. 

“GVSU Votes is a nonpartisan, student-led voter engagement initiative,” Boosamra said. “We have four outcome areas that we work in, including voter registration, voter education, voter turnout and dialogue across differences.”

The initiative started in 2015 as a collaboration between GVSU’s Student Senate, the Office of Student Life and the Division of Inclusion and Equity. 

To make sure students are educated about this democratic opportunity, GVSU Votes! has an orientation program to make sure students get voting information as soon as they enter the collegiate system. The organization then works with on-campus living centers to help students understand their options for participation. GVSU Votes! also works with the University’s Office of the Provost to help staff members get the message out to the students.

In addition to National Voter Registration Day in September, the organization hosts many tabling events, and collaborates with other student organizations to discuss the importance of voting.

“We’ve got our ‘Democracy 101’ series, which, this semester, we hosted in partnership with the Black  Student Union and (the) Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,” Boomsamra said. “That has been a series of conversations, presentations and panel discussions about topics related to the election.”

In an effort to make voting easier for students, GVSU Votes! also organizes voter registration programs. In partnership with the Allendale Township Clerk’s Office, students that are registered to vote in Allendale have the opportunity to cast their votes at the Kirkhof Center.

“This is the third election that we’ve had the Allendale clerk in the Kirkhof Center,” Boomsamra said. “We’re really grateful and proud that we have been able to develop this partnership.”

As part of their Election Day Celebration on Nov. 5, the group will also have pizza, refreshments and keynote speakers to mark the occasion. In addition, student voter vans will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., shuttling students to polling locations on Election Day. The vans will run from Kirkhof to both Georgetown and Allendale Township polling locations. 

GVSU Votes! is working hard to make sure that students, a demographic that sometimes can become apathetic to political engagement, understand their vital role in the upcoming election.

“At the most fundamental level, voting is your voice and your opportunity to contribute to decisions about how we’re going to live as a society and a country,” Boosamra said. “Recent elections have been won by slim margins and students need to understand that every vote does count.”

Some students realize the importance of getting out to vote, but are fatigued by partisan news, which seems poised to separate Americans along political lines.

Noah MacLachlan is a double major in writing and philosophy at GVSU. He said that he is aware of his political agency, but is also concerned about the particularly adversarial sentiments of the major candidates.

“I think that as the younger generation, we are some of the people who are affected most by the policies of the politicians currently in power,” MacLachlan said. “It is important to make our voices heard so that we can carve out a better path for not only ourselves, but the generations that come after us, and also for everyone else still living today.”

MacLachlan said that despite the moral pressure to vote, the act of voting doesn’t always feel great to him.

“If I’m being honest, I’m not super excited about participating in this election,” MacLachlan said. “I feel that politics (have) more so turned into mudslinging and infighting, rather than each candidate trying to genuinely produce beneficial change to the nation.”

Because many graduating students will be at the crossroads of economic debt and financial uncertainty, the prices of gas, groceries and housing costs are at the forefront for many voters. MacLachlan said he thinks these economic issues are the most important for students.

“As a college student who doesn’t really make enough from the restaurant job I work on the weekends, it’s more important than ever to make sure that prices are affordable for both rent and groceries,” MacLachlan said.

Like many other students who remember the 2020 election and its unsavory aftermath, MacLachlan worries about what will happen on Nov. 5.

“With events such as the January 6 riots looming over our heads, it is scary to think about the potential of what some individuals might do on either side, if one or the other loses the election,” MacLachlan said.

Young voters typically aren’t the target voting audience, as they rarely make up the majority of overall voting turnout. Despite this, many students feel confident that their demographic has what it takes to make societal change, even if it means speaking out against the grain.

“I think that with our generation, we have the possibility to bring about change by asking hard questions and pushing for things that will make for a better America,” MacLachlan said. “We can take the first steps toward ensuring a better tomorrow by making sure our voices are heard and that we come together, instead of becoming more polarized.”