Election rapidly approaching, more college students voting

Rhonda Wheeler, Editor-in-Chief

The presidential election is quickly approaching.

 Current President Donald Trump is running for his second term in the Republican Party. Former Vice President Joe Biden is running as the Democratic candidate.

Jo Jorgensen is running for the Libertarian Party and Howie Hawkins is running for the Green Party. 

Students can go to indianavoters.in.gov to make sure they are registered to vote. Citizens must register to vote 29 days before the election.

In order to vote in Indiana, someone must be at least 18 years old, live in their precinct for at least 30 days before the next election, not currently be imprisoned after convicted of a crime and be a citizen of the U.S.

After confirming they are registered to vote, students should find their polling location.

Citizens need an ID in order to vote in Indiana. Keep in mind  that USI students can’t use their student IDs to vote because they do not have a date on them.  

There are more options on the voting ballot in Vanderburgh County than just the U.S. president. People will also vote for the Indiana governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, Indiana Congressional District 8 and Indiana House District 76.

There will also be a chance to vote for Vanderburgh County Commissioner District one and three, council at large and other positions within Vanderburgh County.

People can also vote for Evansville Vanderburgh County School Board District Three.

71% of college students said they are “absolutely certain” they will vote this year, according to a study conducted by College Pulse and Knight Foundation.

18% said they were fairly certain they would vote.

5% of participants said they were fairly certain they would not vote.

2% said they were absolutely certain they would not vote.

4,000 students participated in the study. It was conducted by College Pulse, a survey research and analytics company, and Knight Foundation, a national foundation invested in journalism and the arts. .

It also revealed that students lack confidence in the legitimacy of the 2020 election. 49% of participants said it won’t be fair and open, while 55% say it will not be administered well. 

81% said they believe special interest groups will have more influence over the election outcome than voters will.

70% of participants said they will vote for Joe Biden, while 18% said they will vote for President Donald Trump. 10% said they will vote for someone else.

Students were also asked what they believe to be the most important issue in the U.S. today. . 33% of participants said the most important issue the U.S. is currently facing is COVID-19. 22% said it was race relations, and 12% said climate change.