More than one-third of colleges and universities fail to meet standards set by a federal law requiring opportunities for voter registration on campus.
Schools cited lack of information regarding requirements as one of the main barriers to complying with the law, according to a survey released Monday by the Chronicle of Higher Education and Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.
While the new survey found an abundance of political activity on college campuses, including an array of political speakers, voter registration drives, protests and rallies, the survey also discovered that nearly 36 percent of the 249 institutions that responded do not fulfill requirements in the Higher Education Act.
The Higher Education Act of 1998 requires that universities facilitate student voter registration. One section of the law mandates that even if an institution is located in a state to which the National Voter Registration Act does not apply, it still must “make a good faith effort to distribute a mail voter registration form, requested and received from the State, to each student enrolled in a degree or certificate program and physically in attendance at the institution, and to make such forms widely available to students at the institution.”
The act also states universities must request forms from the state 120 days prior to the deadline for voter registration within the state. According to the Chronicle press release, however, some local and state election officials say they do not have the resources to register students.
Although some universities may be lagging politically, many consider the University of Wisconsin a hotbed of political activity.
On State Street alone, students can encounter a number of volunteers offering sign-up sheets for students to work with political organizations on campus.
Mike Palamuso, state director of the League of Conservation Voters, said the group does not focus primarily on registration because, “getting students to vote is not enough.”
“We’ve launched an unprecedented grassroots campaign in Wisconsin, targeting 300,000 Badger state voters,” he said. “We’ve been going door to door encouraging people to vote for John Kerry.”
The league, a branch of the America Votes Coalition, objects to Bush’s environmental policies and offers volunteer opportunities for students.
Nicole Marklein, president of the UW College Republicans, said voter registration deadlines are not a huge concern for students in Wisconsin, since they can register at the polls if they bring a driver’s license and a piece of mail showing their current Wisconsin address.
Marklein said the College Republicans have been actively recruiting new members.
“We have about 900 new members,” she said. “We have encouraged members to either register at the polls or request absentee ballots. We also have a member who is very involved in the Vote 2004 Coalition. She’s kind of our liaison.”
Marklein said the College Republicans also have a liason in the Vote 2004 Coalition, which is a subset of Associated Students of Madison and brings together various student groups to encourage UW students to vote.
But not all political organizations on campus are extremely active.
The League of Women Voters (LWV), a non-partisan organization promoting citizens’ involvement in politics, has not had much luck so far getting UW students to join, according to president of the local LWV Carol Eimel.
But Eimel noted the group is keeping students’ dues low — at only $35 a year — to keep the organization affordable enough to attract young members.
