Igniting the Vote Among College Students

What’s the best way to get college students to vote in the upcoming election? Drive a bus around the country and invite students to come aboard and learn just how easy and important it is.

That’s what Project Vote Smart has been doing over the last year in preparation for the election coming up on Tuesday. The bus, which is over 45 feet long, travels across the country in an attempt to deliver to potential voters what it calls a “Voter Self-Defense System.” This program helps teach those who come aboard how to avoid being swayed by incorrect information stemming from political campaigns.

College campaigns in general have recently tried to stress the idea of getting out to vote and making informed decisions. This year, MTV conducted a “Get Out the Vote” campaign where they had several big music celebrities discussing the election and explaining the need to voice your opinion. The College Democrats of America also have created a website where they stress the need to inform students of their right to vote and encourages them to report incidents where they are intimidated from doing so.

The main goal of these campaigns is helping to increase votership among college students, a population that traditionally puts out low voting totals. When speaking with Ithaca College sophomore Ann Henry, she noted the importance of college students getting out and at least being informed about the current issues and the candidates. You can see her full response in the video below.

The Project Vote Smart bus recently made stops on the Ithaca College campus, as well as campuses around the Northeast. Two of these were Hofstra University, which featured an appearance by the bus for the final presidential debate, and St. John’s University’s Queens Campus. In both of these stops, students were able to gain an important perspective on making informed decisions while voting.

Matthew Krul, a junior at Hofstra University, discussed his experience at the bus saying, “I really felt like I learned so much more and now am capable of going into a polling place with confidence that I will make the right choice in voting.” This kind of feeling is what the Project Vote Smart bus tour hopes for. At St. John’s, junior Branden Lam noted that “The idea of a bus touring around campuses to try and get students to go out and vote in such an important election is really great. I am happy they came and taught me some important things.”

Whether it be a bus traveling around the country or a 30 second advertisement played several times on television or radio, it is clear that college students are being targeted to learn about the importance of voting. In addition, they are being taught how to make smart choices when voting. These lessons are priceless tools that can make a big difference in how our country turns out following the next several elections.

Below, I have included a map of some of the locations where the bus has visited over in the Northeast over the last month. In addition, you can read this article from the Ithaca Journal for more information about the Project Vote Smart bus tour’s visit to Ithaca. For more about Project Vote Smart, please visit their website.


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--Michael Polak
In Depth Politics Story