By Taylor Wooten
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS — Tory Combs, a senior at Butler University, saw the disconnect college students can have from the electoral system and did something about it—she founded Dawgs Vote, an organization with the goal of informing and exciting voters.

“Voting is important because it allows us to express our opinions and approval of our government representatives,” Combs said. “We are limited in how we can effectively share our voice, and by voting, we can make a point.”

As a leader in Dawgs Vote, Combs provides nonpartisan information on voter registration, absentee voting and frequent reminders about upcoming deadlines. As vice president of Butler’s student government association, Combs is also spearheading a campaign called “Dawgs IV Democracy,” which will provide information to students about the voting process and upcoming general election.

In the last presidential year, census data show 5.1 million voting-aged Hoosiers. 4.8 million were registered or 96%. But more than 40% did not bother to vote in the general election, ranking Indiana 41^st in the nation according to worldpopulationreview.com.

The number of people who didn’t vote was even higher in the 2019 municipal election — nearly 80% of registered voters stayed home from the polls. In the 2018 general election, where members of Congress and a U.S. senator were elected, about half of registered voters cast ballots.

Combs and her colleagues have their work cut out for them. Indiana’s youth voter registration is declining at one of the fastest rates in the country, according to a Tufts University study that analyzed registration of citizens aged 18-19. Indiana’s young voter registration has dropped by 54% since November 2019, according to the Tufts study.

People who choose not to vote are unlikely to be affected by voting initiatives.  Laura Wilson, assistant professor of political science at the University of Indianapolis, said that whether a person feels motivated to vote is the biggest factor in determining whether they will actually cast a ballot.

“A number of people feel like the system doesn’t represent them,” Wilson said.

In a 2019 study of 12,000 non-voters by the Knight Foundation, the group analyzed political attitudes and behavior of those who chose not to participate in the electoral process. The study found that non-voters are less educated, poorer, and more likely to be minorities, single and women.

Eitan Hersh, a political science professor at Tufts University, worked on The 100 Million Project — named after the 100 million non-voters in the 2016 election — as an academic advisor with Yanna Kruonikov from Stony Brook University. Hersh said his biggest takeaway was the amount of diversity among non-voters, followed by the fact that many non-voters are non-voters by choice.

“I’d say the most important thing is that the reason people are not voting is not primarily logistical burdens, you know, like it’s hard to register,” Hersh said. “It’s because they don’t want or don’t feel motivated or don’t feel like their role matters, so I think that’s the big thing.”

Hersh said although the 100 Million Project focused on presidential elections, local elections are more likely to behave changed results because of voter turnout, and more likely to determine a change within a small community.

“The 100 Million Project is about the presidential election really, but turnout is even lower at state and local levels where those issues are really important,” Hersh said. “You know, what kind of jobs are brought to a community, looking at industries, police departments. Navigate issues of bias, environmental stuff like regional transportation systems.”

According to the study, 38% of eligible Americans aged 18-24 who do not vote say that they don’t have enough information to decide who to vote for.

Nicole Robertson, 20, is a Warrick County resident and does not plan on voting in the November election. She has also not voted in prior elections. Robertson has recently attempted to register but is unsure if she did it correctly.

“I don’t really feel like I need to. I mean, everyone is dead set on being like, ‘We need to get Trump out of office, vote, vote, vote.’” Robertson said. “I don’t think me not voting is going to affect that in any way.”

The American Civil Liberties Union is working to correct misinformation and provide accurate information ahead of the general election. In its “Yes! You Can Vote!” campaign, the organization clarifies voting rights for people who have been previously incarcerated, transgender people, recently naturalized citizens, students and individuals with disabilities.

“We are targeting marginalized communities that usually face barriers at the polls,” said Katie Blair, advocacy and public policy director of the ACLU. “So we’re trying to provide education to remove the misinformation and barriers for folks as the election grows near.”

Linda Hanson, co-president of the Indiana League of Women Voters, said the organization is working to create a culture of voters and told an anecdote of a high schooler who chose to host a voting-related spirit week with a block fest at the end for those who had registered to vote.

“If we can build a culture of voting among young people, they will carry that into their adult lives,” Hanson said.

While Combs is passionate about voting, she understands why some college-aged citizens decide against it.

“I think that they maybe do not feel that their vote matters,” Combs said. “It’s also not easy to do and nothing is straightforward, especially this year.”

Julia Vaughn, president of Common Cause Indiana, said that the 2020 primary gave her hope, because even though the turnout was down from the 2016 primary — 24% and 38%, respectively — she witnessed a younger, more diverse group of voters at the polls amid a time of protests in honor of George Floyd, a Black man killed by police.

“There’s a growing recognition during this pandemic that ‘hey, elections really matter, and who our elected officials are really matters,’” Vaughn said.

FOOTNOTE: Taylor Wooten is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.