University of Iowa students, a key voting bloc for Democrats, are casting fewer early ballots in 2022

University of Iowa freshman Isaac Martin voted early in his first general election on Friday on the ground floor of the Iowa Memorial Union two days after attending a "Get out the Vote" rally for Democrat Christina Bohannan, who is running for Iowa's 1st Congressional District.

Martin, who is studying history and secondary education, grew up in Bernard, Iowa, and said he has been politically active since he was in 8th grade. He said he feels the 2022 midterm elections, like Bohannan's race against incumbent U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, are important, especially for access to abortion and contraception, gay marriage, climate change, the economy and education.

"I grew up in a small town, very conservative, but I have been a Democrat my whole life pretty much," Martin said. "Iowa Republicans are horrible on education and I want to be a teacher when I grow up."

Democrats rely on student voters like Martin to turnout in Johnson County, a majority Democratic county.

But this year, voter registrations, absentee ballot requests and the number of people voting early in-person indicate student turnout may hit its lowest point since 2014. That could spell trouble for Democrats, who face a tough fight in key federal and statewide races, like Iowa's 1st Congressional District, which was decided by just six votes in 2020.

More:Meet Christina Bohannan & Mariannette Miller-Meeks, running for Iowa's 1st Congressional District

Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert told the Iowa City Press-Citizen students don't typically show up to vote in midterm elections. Weipert said students tend to vote in presidential years or when particular issues impacting them appear on the ballot, like in 2010 when voters were asked whether to change the age to enter Iowa City bars.

"Students don't seem to really flock to the gubernatorial election," Weipert said.

Still, Weipert thinks more voters will register in the growing Johnson County than in years prior. He said population growth should mean there are more registered voters, though the percent who actually cast a ballot may remain steady.

"Johnson County is growing so much," he said. "We need to look at the math and ask, did we really, based on population growth and the amount of new registered voters, increase turnout? Or did it end up level because we have so many new people and we didn't set a record?"

Early voting at IMU lags; voter registration totals sit far behind past two years; very few ballots requested at student precincts

An early indicator of how motivated the student population is to vote at the University of Iowa is how many people cast ballots at an early voting event at the Iowa Memorial Union last week.

This site aims to attract student voters who wish to vote before Election Day in a convenient location. Signs saying "Vote Here" surrounded the IMU and organizations like Hawk The Vote set up shop on the T. Anne Cleary Walkway to talk to students about voting and direct them to the IMU.

Voters cast 423 ballots over the three-day period Oct. 19 to 21, according to data from the Johnson County Auditor's Office. Broken down by political party, there were 337 Democrats, 20 Republicans, 65 independent voters and one Libertarian who voted at the IMU.

The number of ballots cast there was down 57% over the last midterm election in 2018, and down 65% from the 2020 general election.

Weipert said the IMU satellite voting site, while not exclusive to students, is a good gauge for student turnout because it is the easiest place to vote before Election Day.

"How many of them on Election Day are going to walk to their polling site, or after we leave here today are going to go to the (auditor's) office and vote? Unfortunately probably not a lot," Weipert said.

Weipert said he thought more students would be engaged because of the ongoing legal battle over President Joe Biden's decision to forgive up to $20,000 in student loans. But he said he is questioning whether that will occur.

"I hate to use the phrase, but students are one issue voters kind of. And really in state politics, city elections, school board elections, they don't have that one issue they care about and don't show up and I think we're kind of seeing that here," Weipert said.

Absentee ballot requests also are lagging in the voting precincts that contain the University of Iowa residence halls. The three precincts have the lowest number of absentee ballot requests in 2022, totaling 473. For comparison, 513 voters have requested absentee ballots in Iowa City's 2nd precinct, south of Horn Elementary.

As of Wednesday, 13,344 absentee ballots have been requested in Johnson County and 6,635 have been returned. Absentee ballot requests for mail-in voting were due Monday, but the number will continue to climb as people vote early in-person.

Absentee ballot requests are down 61% from 2018 and 78% from 2020, when mail-in voting was more popular due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weipert said Friday while absentee ballot requests were down, more Democrats had made the request this year than in 2018. Fewer requests were made across the other parties over the same time period.

While not directly attributable to the student population, active voter registration totals also have lagged in Johnson County this year. On Oct. 3, the Auditor's office reported there were 90,213 registered voters in the county.

The number of inactive registered voters has gone up significantly since 2020, mostly among Democrats and Independent voters in Johnson County. Weipert said students come off the voter rolls after they've been graduated and subsequently not voted in Iowa elections for years.

The deadline to register to vote before Election Day has passed, but eligible voters can still register at the polls on Election Day.

What University of Iowa student voters are saying ahead of midterms in Iowa City

Kendall Deutmeyer, a freshman studying journalism and mass communications, said she voted early Friday in her first general election because she cares about what is going on in the country. She said the overturning of Roe v. Wade was top of mind and she wants to vote for candidates who will protect her reproductive freedom.

"As soon as I turned 18 I was really excited to just go vote. It is very important, especially for our generation to get out and vote because we have the right to vote and these issues really can't be ignored," Deutmeyer said.

Deutmeyer, who is from Eldridge, Iowa, said she thinks students are aware of their early voting options and is glad organizations like Hawk the Vote are active on social media.

More:Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Christina Bohannan spar on abortion in 1st Congressional District debate

"Regardless of the party, anyone who thinks that these issues are a big deal are motivated to vote because it directly affects us," she said.

Grace Lange, a junior studying business analytics, joked that she voted early because of "all the annoying ads I get on YouTube" from candidates. She said what really brought her to the polls is it's important to vote in every election, even state and local elections, which she said has a greater impact on her daily life.

"Odds are (midterms) will affect you way more than voting for who the president of the whole United States is," said Lange, who is from Wheaton, Illinois.

Drake Smith, a junior studying data science, also voted early at the IMU after talking to Hawk the Vote organizers on his way to class. He said he was planning on voting this year, but the satellite voting site gave him an easy way to do it in-between classes.

Smith, who is from Danville, Iowa, said early voting is easier to fit around his class schedule. He said more students would be motivated if there are issues on the ballot that directly affect them on the ballot.

"Within my friend group we're not talking about voting, but I feel like it's the older populations that talk about the political discussions," Smith said.

Democratic, Republican and non-partisan organizations push for voter registration and engagement among students

University Democrats, University of Iowa College Republicans and Hawk the Vote are some of several organizations on campus helping students register to vote and engaging students on the election.

Niksa Poleksic, president of the University Democrats and a junior studying biomedical engineering, said his organization helps people register to vote, introduces members to local Iowa Democratic candidates and organizes events like the one held for Bohannan last week. He said the event was a great opportunity to show how passionate students are and how vocal Iowa City can be in the 1st Congressional District race.

Poleksic said his organization has helped register about 600 people in Iowa City since the start of the semester.

"I feel like there is a sense of urgency and a sense of elevated importance in this specific election and I think that will reflect in the students," he said.

"Every election seems more important than the last and I think that trend continues into this midterm especially," he said.

Poleksic said there are a few factors that he thinks play into smaller voting totals at the IMU this year, including visibility of the polling location and not having it closer to Election Day.

Poleksic said he thinks students are being driven to the polls because of important issues like abortion. He said student loan debt relief, LGBTQ rights and education are also major issues driving students to the polls.

The University of Iowa College Republicans did not respond to requests for comment.

Can Iowa City students still vote early?

Perhaps the closest place for students to vote early is the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St., which is hosting satellite voting throughout the week. Times are:

• 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Oct. 30

• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 31 to Nov. 3

• noon to 6 p.m., Nov. 4

George Shillcock is the Press-Citizen's local government and development reporter covering Iowa City and Johnson County. He can be reached at (515) 350-6307, GShillcock@press-citizen.com and on Twitter @ShillcockGeorge

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Student voter turnout could wane in Iowa City ahead of 2022 midterms