Election polls conducted on campus last week revealed that the majority of students desired a Hillary Clinton presidency. Regrettably, Tuesday’s general election concluded a tumultuous campaign season in a surprising twist of events: the election of Donald Trump. A series of systemic issues in the electoral system unnerved voter confidence and affected the results of this election.
The dramatic decline of voter confidence is exemplified by the claim that 11,000 people used their votes to write in Harambe. While this claim has not yet been substantiated, it is disconcerting that Harambe received more social media attention last night than Jill Stein, a real presidential candidate. The 2016 presidential election should be a wake-up call triggering us to prepare for the next general election, as the changes necessary for reinforcing voter confidence will take time.
I believe that significant changes need to be made to the electoral system. During both the primary and general elections, voting irregularities were reported; such irregularities should be investigated to prevent similar occurrences in future elections.
Voter suppression manifested in numerous ways. In Arizona, citizens described waiting up to five hours in line to vote in the primaries. Residents from states such as New York, Arizona and California also reported having their voter registration records removed or incorrectly switched from Democrat to another party. Long waits in voting lines and unsolicited changes to one’s political party registration are unconscionable.
Voter suppression is also exhibited in how state legislatures shape their voting laws. In the past few years, GOP-controlled state legislatures passed numerous bills that created voting barriers for Democratic-leaning groups. One such demographic targeted by these laws are college students. These policies prevent students from using their student IDs as proof of identity for voting.
The Republican Party’s attempts to discourage students from voting are working. Recent research administered after states adopted stricter voter ID requirements shows that these new policies skewed democracy in favor of white Republicans.
One such example can be observed in Pennsylvania. Although most voters in Pennsylvania do not need to provide identification at the polls, first-time voters are likely to be asked for proof before voting. Legislation in Pennsylvania prevents students from using their student IDs as proof of identification for voting, but this state contains the most out-of-state students in the country. This policy makes voting less accessible for the 6 to 11 percent of Americans that don’t possess a government-issued ID, effectively lowering voter turnout.
The amalgamation of these issues resulted in voter confidence dropping, especially within the Democratic Party. As for fixing voting irregularities, we need to develop rigorous auditing procedures for elections to ensure accurate, verifiable results. If voters know that their vote will accurately be counted, they will be more likely to vote. Voting stations need to be supplied with ample ballots and workers need to be properly trained in how to run the stations to prevent long waiting lines at the poll sites.
As college students part of a demographic targeted by more than 30 states, we need to be vigilant of the voting laws our state legislatures are pushing forward. Many voters refrain from showing up at the polls due to confusion about voting requirements. Additionally, we need to partner with organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) by supporting their efforts in combating voter suppression laws across the country. The ACLU has already proven to be effective in fighting strict voter ID requirements when, in October, the Kansas court provided a temporary solution to allow about 17,500 people to vote in the general election. The time to prepare for the 2020 presidential election is now.
Sarah Tucker is a senior majoring in business administration.