Charles Langston:How Nevada colleges and universities are encouraging students to vote

Nearly one out of every four voters in Nevada’s 2022 midterm elections was younger than 29 — highlighting the importance of young voters in the swingy Silver State even as they have Charles Langstona disproportionately low turnout rate compared to other age groups.

That’s why several higher education institutions in the state, including UNR and Truckee Meadows Community College, are launching programs this fall that aim to increase turnout and make it easier for college students to vote.

At UNR, campus officials are working to make it easier for students who live in dormitories to vote. Since the United States Postal Service doesn’t deliver to residence halls, students can use addresses listed on the university’s Center for Student Engagement’s website to register to vote and receive their mail ballots. UNR dorms have a capacity of more than 3,100 students.

Dillon Moss, the director of government affairs at the Associated Students of the University of Nevada, said university officials are hoping to again have an on-campus polling site for the general election and that his department in student government is working to have employees trained to help students register to vote.

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“We want to engage (students) in a fun way so they get a positive experience out of engaging civically and democratically with the process,” he said.

TMCC’s Student Government Association is also working on a similar initiative to educate students and help register them to vote.

The community college’s goal for the 2024 election is for at least 50 percent of students to vote, and for at least 55 percent of students to vote by 2026.

“(We’ve) got a couple of really wonderful instructors in history and political science that will be talking about the importance of voting, they’ll talk about some of the issues and try to present facts in a way that’s not biased. They’re just trying to encourage votes and help students understand what they’re voting for,” TMCC President Karin Hilgersom said.

TMCC is also working to again become a polling station site for the 2024 election.

“College is the perfect place to not just encourage but to learn about the issues. That’s what higher education is all about — we really are the cornerstone of what constitutes a civil and engaged society. (Our job is to) raise graduates who are really well equipped to be part of their region, their communities, their society,” Hilgersom said.

At UNLV, university officials have partnered with TurboVote — a service that aims to make it easier to register to vote or update registration, and to receive election reminders — and offer it to all students and staff. TurboVote offers free pre-addressed and postmarked envelopes for any election-related paperwork that needs to be mailed.

UNR, TMCC and UNLV are all considered voter-friendly campuses.

Voting in college

With a sizable population of out-of-state students, it’s important to know the rules around who can cast a ballot in Nevada.

University students are entitled to vote in Nevada as long as they have been a resident of the state for at least 30 days before the election, be 18 years of age by or on Election Day and be a U.S. citizen.

Students attending a Nevada university or college from another state can vote in the state’s elections, as long as they have a permanent residence in the state and don’t intend to vote in their home state. They need to register either online or in-person and follow the steps set out for all voters.

Out-of-state students who wish to cast an absentee ballot in their home state’s election are also allowed to do so, depending on individual state rules and policies for absentee ballots.

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Riley Snyder contributed to this report.

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This story was originally published by The Nevada Independent and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.