March 19 panel presentation on perspectives

of young adult voters

Headlines often push registered voters into the polling places yet getting 18–25-year-olds out there is challenging. But why?  

Join the League of Women Voters of Kent and a diverse panel of young adult voters to find out how today’s young leaders tackle these challenges. The League invites panelists to give a wide perspective on how they might change the electoral landscape – for the better.  

“Voting Experiences: Young Adult Perspectives” is set for Thursday, March 19, 7 p.m., at Hobbs Hall, 217 N. Mantua St. Kent. The event is free and open to the public. 

The League is organizing the event with Kent State Votes and the Kent State University campus chapter of the NAACP. Kent State Votes is a nonpartisan coalition of campus and area groups to foster registration efforts, to encourage more students to educate themselves on issues and   candidates, and to vote in upcoming elections. LWV Kent is a founding member, along with the Civic and Community Engagement team in KSU’s Center for Student Involvement and the KSU Library.  

Through a formal agreement with the National Study on Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE) at Tufts University, Kent State receives institution-specific reports that allow the university to view general student voter registration and turnout data, including whether students as a group cast ballots in Portage County or in their home communities. Kent State Votes awaits the release of the 2024 NSLVE report; its distribution has been paused amid a U.S. Department of Education investigation. 

But in 2022, 33.7% of eligible Kent State students cast a ballot and 74.8% of eligible Kent State students registered to vote. For context, 22% of Portage County residents voted in the same May primary. On Election Day, student-loaded Kent precincts often are voter-light, but the real count includes registered students voting “back home.” 

Kent State Votes’ goal this year– in a similar primary year – is to reach a voting rate of 40%; an 80% registered rate and 55% turnout.