Party at the Polls: How College Students Should Best

Engage in their Local Community

Ariana Bignotti, Lauren Brooks, Braden Dyreson, Katie Federman, Marc

Gonzalez, Pia Gupta, Peter Lehmann, Chris Miller, Cole Pawlak, Simran

Rathod, Margalit Roitman

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 Table of Contents

Overview……….……………………………………………………………………………………………………..3
Framework for Deliberation ………………………………………………………………………………….….4
Approach 1…….……………………………………………………………………………………………………..4
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………..4
Current Situation…….…………………………………………………………………………………..5
Potential Changes….……………………………………………………………………………………5
Drawbacks……..…………………………………………………………………………………………7
Benefits…….………………………………………………………………………………………………8

Approach 2………….……………………………………………………………………………………………...9
Introduction……...……………………………………………………………………………………….9
Drawbacks….…………...………………………………………………………………………………..9
Benefits………..………...………………………………………………………………………………...9

Approach 3……………..………………………………………………………………………………………….11
Introduction……………...…………………………………………………………………………….. 11
College Students Voter Statistic……...………………………………………………………………. 11
Policies……………………………………………………………………………………………………12
Questions for thought...……………….………………………………………………………………...12
The Moral……….……………………….………………………………………………………………..13

Issue Brief Summary………..………………………………………………………………………………….14

Approach 1………………………….……………………………………………………………………14
Approach 2...………....………………………………………………………………………………….15
Approach 3…………….………………………………………………………………………………….16

Works Cited…………………..…………………………………………………………………………………..17

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 Overview

Current Situation:
“While voting rates for all Americans increased in the most recent midterms, the surge in college student
voting - from 19% in 2014 to 40% in 2018 - is particularly striking” (Forbes). This presents a clear rise in interest
in political engagement in college students. Most would view this as a positive development, especially since
American society values voting and active political engagement. College students and young people in general
have historically been criticized for being unengaged with politics and not voting, so many feel encouraged with
this increase in participation.”Young adults (ages 18-29) made up about 21% of the voting eligible population in
2014, but voter turnout for this demographic has reached record lows in recent years” (State College). This
presents the main problem as college students have the most potential to make a difference through voting,
however they are not motivated to hit the polls.
The recent rise in political engagement among college students has also caused concern. College students
move and live in their new University campuses for an average of four years. Additionally, university campuses
are usually somewhat separated geographically and culturally from their local communities. In the state of
Pennsylvania, you only need to be a resident of PA and election district for thirty days to vote in all primary,
special, municipal, or general elections. This means that all Penn State University Park students are legally
allowed to vote in local elections, a source for the criticisms that have risen.
Yet some people have criticized college students for getting involved in local politics and voting in
municipal elections because they only live locally temporarily and are ignorant of local political situations. Also
some have claimed that college students are unaffected by the decisions made by local governments and that their
political views do not align with those of the community. A recent Times article states that “45 percent of college
students ages 18-24 identified as Democrats, compared to 29 percent who called themselves independents and 24
percent Republicans” (Wines) this presents the concern to some that the political views of students do not
accurately reflect those of their college town.According to the most recent census, State College has a popualtion
42,352 (Annual) and Penn State University Park had a student population of 46,270 (Annual) in 2018. Thus if all
the students at Penn State voted in local elections they could outvote the ballots of the citizens of State College.
Many have conversally argued that since students have the legal and constitutional right to vote in their local they
should be free to and that there should be no infringement on their right to vote. Clearly there needs to be some
understanding and mediation between the diverse views in the community on this subject in order to have a
healthy body politic. Instilling the idea that being an active voter from the start regularizes efforts for college
students to be invested in the decisions made in their college town.

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Framework for Deliberation

In this deliberation we hope to facilitate a conversation to answer the question; “How should college
students engage politically in their local community?”. Being students at Penn State we question our role in the
civic life of the State College community as most students are only residents for 4 years, despite the fact that we
make up the majority of the community. We believe that students should be involved but we hope to consider the
level of involvement and the ways in which they should engage politically with the town. We present our three
options as a part of a spectrum from minimal physical involvement to a completely hands on approach.

- Approach One suggests that proper education regarding the civic life in their college town would be
incredibly beneficial. Educating these students would include mandatory events such as seminars and
required classes through incentivization, for example, credits or general education requirement fulfilment.
- Approach Two suggests that a healthy relationship between local communities and universities needs to
be developed in order to have more effective civic engagement within a college town.
- Approach Three suggests that students should take on the responsibility of voting not only in Federal but
State and Local elections too.

Approach 1: Civic Education

How should education play a role in civic engagement?

Introduction:
In recent years, lack of student participation at the college level presents a serious topic of concern in
local elections. Although roughly 40-50% of college students turned out for the last two general presidential
elections, counties with universities still struggle when it comes to local elections (Roll). Students may not be
aware of the candidates, the issues at hand, or simply believe that voting locally is not as important as bigger
elections. In many counties with college towns, the majority of the population consists of students and faculty,
who should have a lasting impact on local political results. Yet many students still don’t vote in local elections. In
response, our approach displays an emphasis on education for students on these local elections. A study done at
North Carolina Central University depicted that universities and higher learning institutions influence students'
practices to vote through civic education. As well, the implementation of education needs recognition, whether
stemming from incentivization and or required course material. Ultimately, educating students on local issues and
politics will mobilize them to get to the polls and practice civic duties.

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Current Situation:
At the High School level, few strides are being made to increase student civic education. The problem for
civic involvement begins with education implementation at a younger age. How can we expect students to be
involved, if they have no idea about the current
functionality of the government? According to a 2016
survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, “only
26 percent of Americans can name all three branches
of government, which was a significant decline from
previous years.” Without basic understanding of
governmental functions, students are set up to fail
with understanding in political concepts. More
specifically, the image to the right shows the
mandatory civic education required for high school
students in states A-O, by using information from the
state departments of education, the Education
Commission of the States, and the College Board
(“Americanprogress.org''). As seen, 31 out of 38
states on the list require civics course engagement,
and not all is a full year of credit. Furthermore,
roughly 58% of these states have civic education
integrated into the full curriculum at high schools.
Only a meniscal 26% of these states require a civic
exam for students to graduate. Also, the mean score of the A.P. U.S. Government exam is 2.64, which ranks 41st
out of 45 total A.P. tests. Most colleges require at least a score of a 3.0 on A.P. Exams to earn college level credit,
leaving many students without full understanding of important concepts. Lastly, only 2 out of these 38 states
require civics community service. To no surprise, these states only include Maryland and The District of
Columbia, due to their proximity to the Federal Government. It’s no wonder general involvement for young adults
in the political sphere has been on the decline for years. Evidently, this will coincide with the lack of college
student participation in local elections. Students need to first learn the basics of government structure in order to
eventually find interest in certain ideals and political beliefs. Overall, the educational system with regards to civic
engagement needs to change, starting at the high school level of education.

Potential Changes:

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 Within the college educational system, our first consideration should be the roots of student involvement.
In the daily life of any student, where might they hear about local elections? The majority of students on campus
are involved in organizations in some way. According to Natalie Sportelli at Forbes, more than 750,000 college
students are members of Greek organizations at over 650 campuses across the United States (Sportelli). Similarly,
many are already involved with politically driven organizations on campus. A possible route would be through
incentivization among these organizations to bring out public discussion and civic education. Or even more
emphatically, colleges and universities could require moderations held for civic education for these organizations.
Although, there are the possible downsides of dissatisfaction with some of the students, the benefits of
opportunity through education outweigh the risks. Furthermore, through potential community service and
volunteering opportunities, civic engagement can be involved, bringing in more organizations into the mix. At the
high school level, successful implementation of politically based community service efforts led to deeper
understanding and fulfilled curriculum among students. Secondly, civic engagement turnout may improve by
looking at potential news services on campus. With the growing technological sphere around college students,
much of new information and news can be found on our smart phones and computers. What technological
services can help students engage in civic engagement? Many colleges use polling and research testing to gain
insight into student political involvement. One significant drawback of civic engagement develops around
underlying biases. However, according Sara Eskridge, who a former professor at Randolph-Macon College,
“Technology can anonymize discussions and foster an understanding of the importance of analyzing ideas and
their implications, rather than pushing an agenda” (Eskridge). By using forms of technology, colleges can use
methods to check students’ understanding without violating their privacy. As a result, many different viewpoints
and opinions will be revealed to teachers to help foster the improvement of civic education. Educators and local
politicians alike need to recognize students come from all walks of life. On the other hand, with a more direct
focus on the college education structure, how can colleges and universities influence student civic engagement? If
Colleges should potentially require political science courses as integrated into general education, how much of a
focus would these courses have on local civic engagement? Or perhaps, Professors in certain courses can allow
extra credit for those students who involve themselves in engagement in local elections. A more phased approach
would be mandatory seminars for students at the college. The seminars would meet once a week and would have
a main focus directly on student engagement on local elections. These classes would also connect students and
organizations through educational concepts on involvement in the community. Lastly, our approach focuses upon
moderations and a speaker series led by potential candidates in local elections. As of right now, many reputable
colleges easily bring in state and governor candidates for student involvement. So why not bring in local
candidates? With moderations, students will gain valuable insight on potential candidates in the local office. And
in vice versa, candidates will have the opportunity to meet students and better understand the diversity of the
county population.

Drawbacks:

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 Educating students on political concepts will lead to more civic engagement; however this does come
with drawbacks. In civic education, it becomes the responsibility of the teacher to remain neutral and leave their
political bias outside the classroom, yet this tends to be difficult at times. During controversial periods like
presidential elections, students tend to ask their teachers uncomfortable questions. David Cutler, a history and
government teacher, wrote an opinion piece in the Huffington Post detailing whether he should remain silent on
biases. Cutler questions his role as teacher and if student viewpoints of him will alter based on his support of a
candidate. He explains that he gave his view to his students, but encouraged them to understand other views as
well. A teacher’s bias can greatly influence a student’s political views and if a view gets misinterpreted, then it
becomes a large issue. Steve Drummond interviews Diana E. Hess and Paula McAvoy, authors of The Political
Classroom, for NPR. Drummond asks if teachers should share their political beliefs in the classroom, to which
Hess responds, “I sometimes worry that, even though there can be really good ethical reasons to share, in a very
polarized time that sharing can be misinterpreted. And if it's misinterpreted by the public or by parents as teachers
trying to get kids to adopt their beliefs, then I think it could be a big problem” (Hess). Students could easily
misinterpret a teacher’s viewpoint as a belief forced upon them,. On the other hand, a teacher may not share their
belief, but make a sarcastic comment about a politician that, which McAvoy explains, “... is problematic, because
it creates a climate not of fairness, but it creates an insider/outsider feeling” (McAvoy). Evidently, the students
will become more opposed to the view and make political parties more divisive. Ultimately, a drawback from
education about US government and politics is bias from the teacher, which can lead to division or influence of
the students.
In addition to the drawback of political bias, incentivizing civic duties can risk disrupting integrity and
grades. One approach with the educational method uses extra credit to get students involved in local elections.
Simultaneously, professors may believe that the integrity of their grades will lose security and curriculum will
water-down. There are professors who do like to give out extra credit, yet there are others who believe that it
cheats the grade system since the student isn’t actually earning the grade. Plus, the extra credit will get the
students to the polls, but it doesn’t help students understand the local issues or candidates. The students might just
vote within their party without doing research in order to just obtain the extra credit. Another drawback would be
the mandatory seminars taking time away from other classes and work time. At Penn State, there is a mandatory
seminar that most first semester freshmen have to take. Another mandatory seminar for understanding local
politics is a great approach; however, this would take time and money to plan. The university would have to find
professors to teach it and decipher how to implement it into the curriculum. Additionally, the students might not
pay attention to it and feel that they have a better opportunity cost of doing something else instead. All in all,
political bias, extra credit, and mandatory seminars are all drawbacks to the education approach. However, how
big of an impact do these drawbacks have? Are they worth the approach of education?

Benefits:

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 According to Christine M. Cress at the Association of American Colleges and Universities, “Civic
engagement has the potential to help students develop their capacities for understanding their role in complex
social, economic, and political systems.” Simply put, students need civic education to be successful in
understanding a society's core principles. Why do we have rights? What protects these rights? Who can we trust to
maintain our rights and safety? Or even more specifically, why do we pay taxes to our government? We need
civic engagement for societal balance. Every citizen has the ability to make their voice heard by our leaders. And
in doing so, citizens will keep government officials in check and keep those who are corrupt out of office. In local
elections, students in college towns make up large portions of the county voting population. If we have more
student participation in local elections, the results will rightfully resemble the complete county population. With
such a diverse population, the elected official will also be better acclimated to students’ differing viewpoints.
Ultimately, a student’s education and experience becomes enriched through civic engagement in local elections.
And in succession, after graduation, students will have a new-found interest to participate locally in new
communities.

APPROACH 2: TOWN-GOWN RELATIONSHIPS

Have town-gown relationships been proven to be effective?

Introduction:
College towns can potentially be very polarized, with members of the town living completely different
lives to thoses of the students. The difference in these two groups can potentially stir tension especially when it
comes to politics. When there are cases of disagreement between a university and the town they are located in,
hostility increases dramatically.

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Drawbacks:
In August of 2018 students and faculty at University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chappell Hill found
themselves in a conflict with their local government. The Chapel Hill Board of Governors had to make a decision
regarding the location of a historical statue. The statue of a confederate soldier “Silent Sam” (Jaschik, 2019). The
Statue was originally going to be placed at an off campus location, but because of North Carolina state laws
regarding the movement of a monument, officials wanted to relocate the statue back to campus. “Governor Roy
Cooper said UNC could remove the statue, but the university said it did not have ‘clear legal authority to act
unilaterally.’” (Jaschik). Ultimately The Chapel Hill Board of Governors proposed the creation of a building that
would keep the statue on campus but inside so that students could not deface it. The placement of this statue
stirred debates for many years. Students and faculty were very upset over this decision, and in August of 2018,
during a protest, students dismantled and defaced the statue. This created even more tension between Chapel Hill
and the University. In fact the chancellor, Dr. Folt left her position 4 months after the protests (Rose). The
pressure coming from the Board of Governors combined with the protesting of the students was too
overwhelming and she stepped out of office.
The case at UNC is just one example of tension between the student body and their college town. This
example highlights how critical it is for Officials to have a solid relationship with both the town and the gown.
This case is far from resolved, and that is because there is an underlying disagreement in values. As one can see
by the stepping down of officials, the disagreement creates an unproductive political atmosphere and a cyclical
nature of arguments. Local politicians should ensure that there is a strong foundational relationship between
college students and locals to ensure a constructive environment that meets the needs of both groups.
Benefits:
The relationships that develop between students, local community leaders, and politicians serve as a vital
determinant in the amount of civic engagement seen on college campuses. The culture of many cities and towns
throughout the country are defined by large colleges and universities. Successful relationships built between
politicians and college students are commonly known as “Town-Gown” relationships, which are ultimately
characterized as solid and trusting (“Running”). Students feel more inclined to vote and participate in civic
activities when candidates and politicians address needs that fit them, however, it becomes difficult for elected
officials to please both the community and students that live within a college town. The real difficulties develop
when a politician focuses on one more than the other, but when college students are not being addressed on
campus, they will not vote. This issue impacts communities throughout the country as “college towns are home to
18.6 million people” (Love)
For example, Pennsylvania State University is a clear model of a successful town-gown relationship. In
recent data representing the Fiscal Year 2017, Penn State employed 105,000 people across the state of
Pennsylvania and contributed over 11.6 billion to the state’s economy (“Penn”). The local residents within State
College depend on the university for both employment and economic stability and students equally depend on
communication regarding laws and rights that impact them, specifically house leases, parking violations, and

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public fines. Local Councillor Dan Murphy has further demonstrated how to build a successful town-gown
relationship on the Borough council by representing students while still respecting local residents after he was
elected in 2017. Katierose Epstein, a senior at Penn State says that Murphy “has provided an even more
streamlined connection between the students and the borough due to his consistent communication” (Corrigan).
Another junior at Penn State, Jake Griggs, said that Murphy “supports students by listening to the UPUA
[University Park Undergraduate Association] and our stances in the borough and very often supporting those
stances to the rest of the council” (Corrigan). Councillor Murphy balances the needs of the students that make up
the college town with the needs of the community so that everyone feels heard. Griggs also believes that “he does
so in the context of his larger obligation to the entire community, when it makes sense to in his eyes. That’s how
it should be” (Corrigan). With these increasing lines of communication, Penn State students are bound to become
more civically engaged. In 2019, Penn State received a silver seal at the All In Challenge Awards Ceremony for
increasing student voter turnout. Only 13.7% of students voted in the 2014 midterm election but the percentage
jumped in 2018, where 36% of students casted a vote, showing a dramatic 22.3% increase (Hayford). Student
voter registration also rised from 60.6% in 2014 to 74% in 2018 (Hayford). Successful town-gown relationships
like the one seen at Pennsylvania State University are proving to enhance the civic engagement from college
students and should be adopted in other college towns in the country.

Approach 3: Accessibility of Elections to Student Voters

How can current election practices change to facilitate increased student voter participation on
campus?

Introduction:
On July 1st, 1971, the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed allowing for all
citizens of the age of eighteen or older to vote in elections. This Amendment allowed United States citizens to
become involved politically from a younger age. For most of the nation, the change was welcomed with open
arms, however, with an increasing number of teenagers and young adults pursuing higher education, residents of
college towns worried that they could lose power over the communities that they had inhabited for many years.
The primary concerns were, “if allowed to vote in college cities and towns, they may take control of local

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governments, vote costly projects, then depart in a few years, leaving a heavy tax burden for others (“College-
Town Worry: Will 18-to-21 Voters Take Over?”).”
Today, for the most part, the questions of whether or not to allow college students to vote have subsided.
Any argument against student voting will typically be ended quickly with reference to Constitutional rights.
However, there are still questions about how college communities should adapt to the young voters. At some
colleges around the nation, the barrier to become a voter, especially as an out of state student, can be quite high.
Just this year at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, debates over a new law that may require an in
state drivers’ license to vote have been controversial for unintentionally suppressing student votes. By requiring a
license, the state would be indirectly establishing a poll tax that could limit the number of students who would be
willing to initiate state residency.
Here in State College, Pennsylvania, student voting is much easier to start than at other universities, but
that is not to say that it does not have issues of its own. While registration is simpler, the number of student
voters still remains quite low considering the massive student population in the community. The real question for
us is, why is it valuable for college students to vote in their college town elections, and what responsibility do
students have for the policy and officials that they help elect during their time at school?

State College Student Voters

● At the on campus voting locations, there are 8,370 registered voters.
● In November 2019, 2,901 of those registered cast ballots, 35%.
● About 65% of these people voted Democratic with their ballots.

(“2019 Municipal Election”)

As you can see, the tendencies of students to vote Democratic in elections is certainly prominent and
could be concerning for a county that has historically been predominantly Republican. That being said, the voter
turnout, at least among these locations is quite low. With only 35% turnout, these numbers would not be enough
to significantly swing any election. If the turnout was increased significantly, the impacts would be more
pronounced. Based on past statistics, student voting numbers increase dramatically in presidential election years
with a nearly 70% turnout for the 2016 national election.

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Policies

To start approaching the problem of making it easier for students to vote in elections on campus, many
policies can induce higher student voter participation while alleviating negative side-effects of student voting.
One policy that could be used is higher investment college-town polling places. If students there are more options
for students to vote on campus then there should be an increased amount of student voters. This policy to increase
the number of polling places can also help with the negative effect of student voting in fear of fraud. With
university’s putting more time and effort into creating safe, effective polling places on campus not only would
there be an increase and voters but there would also be a decrease in the amount of possible fraud. Another policy
could be big voter registration drives. These voter registration drives would not only directly increase the number
of people that could be available to vote, but if at the drives there were areas to inform new voters on local, state,
and federal elections the problem of disconnect between students and the rest of the college community could
help be diminished.

Questions for Thought

● If college students are going to vote in elections, should they have a responsibility to vote in both local,
state, and federal elections?
● To what extent would the local area be impacted if voter turnout among students increased significantly?
● How should students educate themselves or be educated on local politics, community needs, or officials
in the area?
● Analyze what could be potential positive, as well as negative impacts that could occur from an increased
student voting population.

The Moral
Voting is an integral responsibility as a United States citizen, whether it be local, state, or federal, voting
will always be the main part of civic duty as a citizen. Decisions made will impact the economic, social and
political world around us. Voting will affect current generations and the future generations of America, and by
knowing this, it is known that every vote for every election counts. College students engaging in voting for
political officials is a prime example of civic duty, but at what point should the student vote not count as much as
someone's vote who has residency in the college town. Every citizen should have a say in the elections of their
local officials, but what if the citizen is only a temporary citizen. Either way, accessibility to voting in elections
on campus should be increased as voter participation is an integral part of American Democracy. This should be
the moral in mind when discussing this approach.

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 (Eshleman)

ISSUE BRIEF SUMMARY

Approach 1:
Educating college students on their civic duties as active voters can be very beneficial to college
towns. Some of the pros of this approach include allowing for students to make more informed decisions
on who to vote for and being familiar with the platform which these candidates are running for. One
major con of this approach includes figuring out exactly how to execute such a thing. Perhaps we can
execute mandatory events or incentivize the education process by giving some sort of reward for those
who attend education sessions. While this may be a good way to educate students it may take time away
from seminars, and cause for the need for a new curriculum.

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Approach 2:
The second approach explains the concept of town-gown relationships, or areas where there are
two distinct communities in a collegetown (the citizens and the college students). This approach
attempts to explain the effectiveness of these relationships in certain areas, while also stating that it does
come with few potential drawbacks mentioned below. To show that the benefits are greater than the
possible drawbacks, this approach brings attention to similar situations on other college campuses.
Finally, the town-gown approach acknowledges that if done successfully, civic engagement increases
not only in the community, but also at the college or university.

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Approach 3:
The third aspect that we aim to deliberate and discuss in further detail is the degree of autonomy
that college students at Penn State should be granted in terms of politics, i.e. whether we should be
allowed to vote, even though it is our constitutional right. As a college town, the students here constitute
the majority of the population, however, most students only temporarily relocate to state college and
move out once they graduate. Voting in local or federal elections directly impacts the lives of people
living in that particular area, and thus this is an issue that requires a deeper and thoughtful discussion,
which is primarily what our third approach aims to tackle.

15
Overall, this report aims to discuss and deliberate whether the increasing trend of becoming politically
engaged should be applied to college students voting in local elections. The trajectory that politics
follows in the United States has been very bumpy, and thus enabling college students to vote in local
elections lends them the ability to become independent and enables them to become responsible citizens
with the power to make an impact, should they be guided to do so effectively, and truly become a part of
the big picture, however, there are various factors including, but not limited to impermanent residences
inexperience and differing attitudes that have raised concerns about the same.

WORKS CITED

Overview
“Annual Enrollment Snapshot Released, University Sees Slight Decline.” Penn State University,
news.psu.edu/story/549277/2018/11/28/academics/annual-enrollment-snapshot-released-university-sees-
slight-decline.
Nietzel, Michael T. “College Student Voting Doubled In 2018. What It Could Mean For 2020.” Forbes,
Forbes Magazine, 24 Sept. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2019/09/24/college-
students-take-to-the-voting-booth/#828e7f8253e0.
Wines, Michael. “The Student Vote Is Surging. So Are Efforts to Suppress It.” The New York Times, The New
York Times, 24 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/us/voting-college-suppression.html.

“State College, Pennsylvania Population 2020.” State College, Pennsylvania Population 2020 (Demographics,
Maps, Graphs), worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/state-college-pa-population/.

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Approach 1
“Americans' Knowledge of the Branches of Government Is Declining.” The Annenberg Public Policy Center of
the University of Pennsylvania, 10 Feb. 2020, www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/americans-
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