Over 600 WWU students turned to on-campus resources to vote on Election Day amid a low Gen Z turnout nationwide
The 2024 general election was the first trip to the polls for many Gen Z voters, born between 1997 and 2012. But the morning of Nov. 5 gave some Western Washington University students a jolt of anxiety — not just due to unforeseen election results, but upon realizing they hadn’t yet voted or even registered.
Roughly 50 million Gen Z members were eligible to vote in the election, including 8 million first-time voters, according to a post-election report from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University. However, only 42% of those young voters, ages 18 to 29, cast ballots, resulting in youth votes making up just 14% of the total election ballots — a decline from 2020 (17%) and 2016 (19%).
Despite a national dip in Gen Z voter turnout, Western student organizations, like the Office of Civic Engagement(OCE), along with community partners, worked from the start of the fall quarter to make voting as accessible and straightforward as possible for students — even on Election Day.
From 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., when polls closed, the OCE ran a Voter Hub in the Viking Union Multipurpose Room offering students same-day voter registration, ballot printing and ballot-casting assistance.
“A lot of students don’t know the whole voting process,” Madison Gregory, OCE social media coordinator said. “Especially this election, I’ve heard a lot of people say they don’t want to vote because it’s scary. So, I think it’s important for the OCE to be here to help people understand their civic rights.”
Attendance remained low until around 4 p.m. when a surge of students pushed voting booth wait times to 30 minutes.
“I lost my ballot — I’m so glad you guys are here,” one student said, rushing up to the front table where Gregory was checking in voters.
Throughout the evening, the hub maintained a steady flow of students, with over two dozen consistently waiting in long rows to vote — some having skipped class or risked being late to work to cast their ballots.
Clipboards were scattered across the table where Christopher Rosenquist, coordinator of legislative affairs, and Sophia Maynard, outreach coordinator for the OCE, spent the evening assisting students with voter registration.
“[Voting is] a legal right, but I was here the first hour and we had three or four students who were first-time voters, and that’s why I think it’s important to be here for students to make this process as seamless as possible,” Rosenquist said.
Despite the weight of the day, Maynard shared that she’d made her peace with Election Day anxiety, “I think there’s a certain peace when you vote early, drop your ballot in the box and you can say ‘I’ve done my part’.”
The OCE wasn’t the only voting resource on campus. Brandon Rountree, deputy campaign manager for the Whatcom County Democrats, had been tabling since the first week of classes to help students update their voting registration and raise awareness.
“Students are the easiest to activate because they procrastinate voting, don’t get their ballots from home soon enough, or forget to update their voter registration,” Rountree said.
On Election Day, Rountree stocked his “Vote-Mobile” with essentials: a portable heater, printer, laptop, blue tablecloth and signs reading “VOTE TODAY” and “Missing Your Ballot?”
He was available to print ballots and answer students’ voting questions, ensuring they knew to use a blue or black pen when casting their ballot and where to check their voting status.
“I’m 15 minutes late for my class — I just have to get my ballot turned in,” one student said, anxiously waiting in line to reprint their ballot.
Throughout the quarter, Rountree had many students stop by his table with comments like, “Oh, I’ve been meaning to do this,” or asking for a new ballot after losing theirs — one even admitted they left it on top of their car on the way to the ballot box.
On Election Day alone, Rountree assisted between 50 to 70 students, adding to the roughly 400 he’d helped that quarter with voter registration, ballot printing and more.
When a couple of students arrived at Rountree’s table as he was packing up, he immediately unpacked his equipment to help.
“There are no dumb questions, you’re good,” he reassured one student who hesitantly asked how to file their ballot.
Inside the Voter Hub, Gregory tracked each visitor’s purpose —whether to drop off a completed ballot, print one or register same-day. By 8 p.m., 556 students had used the hub’s services, with ballot printing in highest demand.
To help students decompress after the election, the OCE hosted a “Post-Election Pet Affection” event. In partnership with Mobile Animals as Natural Therapy, to bring in miniature ponies, goats and other farm animals.
“I think an event like this was nice because after the election many people were upset and disappointed,” Gregory said. “I also think because so many students were first-time voters this year the results were overwhelming and hard to process. So having an event like this I think distracted people for a bit and hopefully gave them a little comfort.”
— By Sophie Cadran
Also read in Salish Current:
• “WWU community grapples with post-election uncertainty in a new Trump era,” Nov. 15, 2024
• “Gen Z eyes Nov. 5,” Oct. 28, 2024
• “Minimum wage increases, renter protections high priority among young voters,” Oct. 20, 2023
• “Paradox of passion, apathy impacts young voter turnout,” June 23, 2023