Douglas County sees only slight increase in votes cast

By Jesse Trimble

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Though nearly 18,000 more voters registered in Douglas County in 2008 compared to 2004, only about 270 more votes were cast.

Some thought youth would go to the voting center in droves, but statistics have not yet been released about the voting habits of specific age groups for Douglas County.

Don Haider-Markel, professor of political science, said everything he had seen before election night had overestimated youth voter turnout.

“Part of the reason why we won’t see a difference will be because voter turnout overall will outweigh that of specifically youth voter turnout,” he said.

Haider-Markel said this election would not capture youth voting accurately because volunteers couldn’t reach voters on their cell phones. However, when Obama’s campaign asked supporters to sign up to receive text messages, the response was overwhelming. Haider-Markel said that when students could wake up on Election Day with a text reminding them to vote, it brought politics to the youth generation.

“It’s great that the Obama campaign had texting efforts to get the youth involved,” Haider-Markel said. “It has greatly changed the dynamics.”

In 2004, 65,181 people registered to vote, according to the Douglas County clerk’s office. Of that number 51,302 ballots were cast, for a 78.71 percent turnout. The clerk’s office has no way to differentiate student voters from community voters.

Among the 67 precincts in Lawrence, the Burge Union on campus served as a polling location for many students in this election.

Cherae Clark, Kansas City, Kan. 0freshman, was among students to cast her vote at the Burge Union. She said she voted for Obama because of his stance on gay rights, the issue that matters most to her.

Clark, now age 18, has been an open lesbian for four years and said Obama’s overall acknowledgement of gay rights persuaded her to vote for him.

Shane Heslet, Rossville freshman, registered as a Democrat and sent in his absentee ballot earlier this week.

Heslet said his vote went to Obama because of the message of hope and change.

“America has been looking for this change for the last eight years and for one shining figure,” he said. “Obama is the face of change where American politics are going.”

Heslet said coming from a small community of Republicans, he based his values off his immediate liberal family.

“My grandma is a huge McCain fan, though,” Heslet said with a smile. “We are both really into politics.”

Poll workers at Central United Methodist Church, 1501 Massachusetts St., said overall, 90 percent of voters by 5 p.m. last night were students. The church was one of the main locations for students who live in the student ghetto to vote.

Only four students arrived wearing political shirts and were asked by polling staff members to turn their shirts inside out before voting. No objections by students were made.

Tom Gleason of the Douglas County Democrats had been at the church from 7:30 a.m. Tuesday morning to observe.

“I’ve been anxious to see how the younger vote turnout has been because of all the speculation,” Gleason said.

He said he was just happy to see young people take part. “The youth realize they have to get in there and vote for what they want to work.”

Gleason said students not only care because of their future careers but also because of health care and things as simple as potholes.

Paul Johnson, professor of political science, said he would guess that the youth voter turnout would slightly increase but not drastically. Johnson said he doubted early voting would have much of an effect on college students.

“That takes an initiative and planning,” he said. “I don’t expect young people to be influenced by early voting.”

Johnson said from his experience in teaching political science classes that it was always easier for students to talk about voting versus actually voting.

“People vote because it’s a little fun and a little interesting that outweighs the inconvenience of it,” Johnson said.

Megan, a Leavenworth freshman who didn’t want her last name to be used, said her vote went to McCain.

“I just consider Obama slightly sketch,” she said.

She said because McCain had a better plan for the Iraq War, she would drive to Leavenworth to vote for McCain.

At the Checkers grocery store, which doubled as a polling location, Heather Dorssom, Olathe senior, said her vote went to Obama because of the pertinent issues in relation to health care.

Dorssom, who will be getting married in March, said issues such as having kids became a deciding factor when choosing a president.

She said she thought the youth turnout would increase because of the historical markers of this election, which included race and gender.

“This will affect the rest of our lives,” Dorssom said. “It’s a chance to make history.”

— — Edited by Lauren Keith

Comments

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.

Advertisement