Students
The stories in our 'Students' category highlight the challenges that many young voters face. Whether attempting to vote in the state where they attend college as out-of-state students, or opting to pre-register to vote before turning 18, students' stories demonstrate their determination to actively engage in the voting process.
Contrary to what some may think, students are well-aware of the importance of their votes in shaping policies and selecting the leaders that will define their future. We invite you to explore these inspiring stories of young voters whose voices are a core component of our nation's democracy.
Read Sohail's voter journey to learn how early civic involvement can help establish a lifelong habit of voting.
As young people engage with their community or participate in the political process, they can increase their sense of political efficacy, a crucial source of motivation to sustain voting behavior. Increasing motivation and decreasing barriers are instrumental in fostering voter turnout for young emerging voters.
In Sohail's case, he pre-registered to vote before he turned 18 and therefore had fewer steps he needed to take before he could cast his first ballot on Election Day. Young voters have the added steps of:
- needing to register (and sometimes re-register when they move out of their family home)
- acquiring Voter ID
- sorting out logistics of where to vote, when to vote, and how to vote
- educating themselves about candidates and policies for the first time
- securing transportation to vote
Every rung on the ladder to voting takes effort to surmount. Pre-registration at schools, social service agencies, or motor vehicle departments can help alleviate that burden and transform students into voters.
Check out Clarissa's voter story to see how students transition when deciding how to vote if they have moved elsewhere for their studies.
Clarissa's knowledge serves as a bridge to young voters who are leaving the nest to pursue higher education in a new voting district. These young citizens may opt to:
- return to their family's home voting precinct
- request an absentee ballot, or
- re-register in their new voting district
Clarissa expertly helps students navigate through these choices as they weigh their best options. Students may analyze whether to register to vote in the district where they have relocated for school or to keep their voter registration at their family home. These students may consider:
- where their vote would have the biggest impact for their own personal goals
- how their vote would best contribute to the betterment of society
- how feasible it is to return home to cast their ballot if they are away at school
As the leader of Students Learn Students Vote, Clarissa can connect students with resources and organizations to support whichever voting decision students determine is best for their personal circumstance.
The key factor here is that if there is a will to vote, there is a way to vote! Our Voting Champion Beth was so determined to make sure her vote counted that she drove across several states from her university to her home state to cast her ballot - see her story in our Absentee/Vote-by-Mail category - but there are other pathways as well that are illuminated here in our Student category.
Read on and become uplifted by students' determination to vote and advocates' commitment to help. These stories shine a light to show other young voters how to cast their ballots and to assure them that they are not alone in their journey.
If you have a student voting question you'd like answered, or would like to share your own story as a student voter, reach out to the YES Campaign!
Can I Vote if I am Studying Abroad?
Alison Nagy
Studying abroad is an opportunity presented to thousands of college students every year. When election time rolls around, all eligible U.S. citizens may exercise their right to vote regardless of their location. Learn how political participation works abroad with Alison Nagy.
Voting as an Overseas Student
An alarming number of young American citizens are not exercising their right to vote. According to Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, the president and CEO of U.S. Vote Foundation, only 7.8% of students abroad voted. With around 280,000 Americans studying abroad each year, it’s important to remember that every vote counts in an election.
When you’re living in a foreign country, even temporarily, the event of an election coming up is a great opportunity to participate in the political process. If you’re enrolled or planning to enroll in an academic program outside of the United States, you may be wondering about voting rules, procedures and deadlines.
Can you cast a ballot even if you’re studying in a different country? Yes, you may be eligible to vote in U.S. elections while being educated overseas.
Meet Alison Nagy From American University
A dedicated study abroad professional with over 18 years of experience, Alison Nagy is committed to helping students engage in international education to deepen their understanding of both their academic fields and global issues. She believes that immersive experiences in host countries are a critical component of education, offering students invaluable opportunities to grow personally and professionally.
Passionate about fostering cross-cultural awareness, Nagy works to ensure that students gain transformative insights through their study abroad experiences. Nagy’s goal is to empower students to broaden their perspectives and become more globally minded citizens.
In Alison Nagy's conversation with U.S. Vote Foundation (US Vote), Nagy informs citizens how voting while studying abroad works specifically from her experience with students at American University.
US.VOTE
What is your perspective on voting while studying abroad?
Alison Nagy
Studying abroad during an election cycle offers a unique opportunity. It allows students to view their political beliefs through a different lens and gain a deeper understanding of how U.S. politics are perceived in their host country or region.
US.VOTE
Applying for an absentee ballot may not be top of mind for students when they are setting out to study abroad. Have you found that many students plan ahead for elections?
Alison Nagy
We are fortunate to have many resources that help students stay engaged in the political process while abroad. Early voting and absentee voting have become standard practices in election cycles and are no longer outliers. With a bit of planning, voting while studying abroad is not much different from voting in another state within the U.S.
American University is one of the most politically active campuses in the country. Our students are highly engaged in the electoral process and take great care to stay informed and involved. We often observe a drop in our study abroad participation during the fall semester of a presidential election year. This is typically due to students choosing to volunteer for political campaigns or pursue politically focused internships.
Our campus itself is also very proactive about voter registration. We have an AU Votes working group that does promotion and events to get students registered either to vote in DC or absentee.
US.VOTE
Do study abroad offices commonly remind students about election dates and deadlines?
Alison Nagy
We encourage all study abroad students to vote while abroad. When we open the study abroad application cycle in the fall of an election year, we notify all eligible students via email that the application process is open and remind them that it is still possible to vote in the election. Additionally, throughout the application cycle, we feature a banner on our website highlighting that students can vote and link to resources to voting while abroad.
Overall, the University is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of where they are, have the resources they need to vote. We have the AU Votes campaign with events on campus to get students registered and/or apply for absentee ballots.
US.VOTE
What recommendations would you have for students who are studying abroad but want to remain engaged in the American political process?
Alison Nagy
There is a non-partisan platform that has information about voting overseas and a great “Study Abroad and Vote! Toolkit” with images and badges overseas voters can share to show they are involved in the election process.
While I don’t have specific data on how students vote while abroad, my gut instinct would be they do this via mail-in absentee ballot. A lot of our programs aren’t reasonably close to a US Embassy or Consulate, and which Embassies and Consulate allow in-person voting very widely.
If you are studying abroad, create a US Vote Voter Account. You can privately store your voting information there so that you can easily generate forms to register and vote from anywhere in the world. You can sign up for reminders of voting deadlines to ensure you never miss an election when away from home.
Featured Voting Resources
