VOTING in a swing state like Pennsylvania feels like an even bigger responsibility, according to students at Penn State University. As a result, there is much more encouragement to vote.
“Being in a swing state, the university has been doing so much to make sure we know how important our right to vote is,” says Katy Hill, a student from New York studying here. She believed Penn State was doing its utmost to help its students make their decision as they headed to the polls – before Donald Trump went on to win Pennsylvania.
The university’s primary campus boasts more than 45,000 students from all over the state, nation, and world. It is home to state-of-the-art teaching and sports facilities – and to a number of polling stations on campus.
Hill and her friend Regan cast their vote for the first time in the polling station at the student hub at 9am after a two-minute walk from their dormitories. Hill, who is new to Penn State, explained how lucky she felt to be able to cast her vote on campus: “Having a polling station on campus is huge. I went to another school before this and there wasn’t a place to vote anywhere near campus, so having this is a privilege.”
As a campaigner for Kamala Harris, John Bates visited universities all over Pennsylvania. He spent election day outside the student hub performing last-minute pitches to voters. He likes to remind students of how fortunate they are: “There are other colleges in Pennsylvania that are very rural, and this is not readily available to everyone.
“The polling station is so close to the dorms, and then there are more downtown! It makes voting for these students such a simple process, they really have no excuse not to.”
The Penn State election spirit didn’t stop there. When you entered the student hub, you are confronted with a line of tables each staffed with friendly faces to inform you on your vote. Bafflingly. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump supporters stood side by side. It’s a competition between who can entice you with the most freebies. But this is about more than free cookies or baseball caps. Throughout the semester, stalls were set up around campus to educate as many students as possible.
Clutching their Harris-Walz posters, three freshmen students – Aasaiya Abbot, Akina Keller and Kirsten Williams – explained that this was not their first time visiting these stalls. “There are information and campaign tables everywhere. By the time we were one week into the semester, we started seeing these information tables pop up. The good thing about them is that they aren’t looking for people to switch to their political views but for people who already align with their own who may not feel like they need to vote.”
These stations made it easier for students to understand the importance of their right to vote and how to use it to their advantage.
Hill hails from New York, a known blue state: “Because it’s a swing state here, there was so much encouragement to change our registration and vote in Pennsylvania to make a difference since our state is pretty much decided.”
Through a collaboration between campus organisations, local officials and passionate campaigners, students here were given not only the knowledge of how and where to vote but a deepened sense of responsibility for voting within the democratic process. At Penn State, voting is not just an election-day activity; it is a vital part of student life.
