Voting Trends Across Minnesota’s Higher Education Institutions

According to the National Study for Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE) there were 243,420 total eligible student voters in Minnesota during the 2016 election.  The voting rate for all higher education institutions in Minnesota was 59.4%, nine percentage points higher than the national average for all NSLVE participating institutions (Table 1). The two likely factors for the higher participation rate in Minnesota was (1) the state’s election laws that make it easier to vote through same-day registration and online registration and (2) the state’s culture of civic engagement.

Table 1

 

Private Institutions

2-year public institutions

4-year public institutions

All Minnesota Institutions

All National Institutions

Voting Rate in 2016

65.6%

57.5%

59.1%

59.4%

50.7%

Change from 2012 to 2016

+0.3%

-0.6%

-1.5%

-0.7%

+3.3%


However, this data reveals an area for concern for Minnesota’s reputation as a leader in voter participation: the downward trend from the 2012 election to the 2016 election participation (-0.7%) across institutions in Minnesota, while the national data showed an increase of +3.3% (Table 1). The 4% point swing highlights that Minnesota higher education cannot rest on their laurels if they are to remain a national leader in voter engagement. Instead, they need to identify ways higher education institutions can boost civic participation as higher education institutions across the country do the same.

Private colleges could be a model as we find ways to boost voter turnout among young people in Minnesota, as they have a 7.7% higher percentage of students voting compared to the public institutions. It is important to note that this data is incomplete because only 11 of the 17 private higher education institutions in the state participated in the NSLVE while 100% of public institutions participated. Also, the student demographics of the private colleges, which have a lower percentage of PELL eligible students, lend themselves to a higher participation rate.

One area that Minnesota higher education institutions should focus on improving to boost democratic engagement is their voter registration rate. Minnesota is 3.6% below the national average for student voter registration rate (Table 2). If higher education institutions focused on assisting students in registering, this would boost the student voting rate because four out of five students that are registered to vote go and vote.

Table 2

 

Private Institutions

2-year public institutions

4-year public institutions

All Minnesota Institutions

All National Institutions

Registration Rate 2016

77.9%

68.5%

70.7%

70.9%

74.5%

Registered and Voted Rate 2016

84.3%

83.8%

83.6%

83.9%

68.4%
 


The second area Minnesota higher education institutions should focus on addressing is the voter participation gap between white students and students of color. There are double-digit participation gaps with Asian, Black and Hispanic students (Table 3). The area of greatest concern is the voter participation rate of Black students in Minnesota, who are participating at rates below the national average.

Table 3

 

Voter Participation Rate

Gap between white students

American Indian

53.9%

-9.8%

Asian

44.1%

-19.6%

Black

43.6%

-20.1%

Hispanic

48.8%

-14.9%

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

57.8%

-5.9%

Two or more races

56.8%

-6.9

White

63.7%

-


An effort to improve the voting participation rates for these communities is especially important as demographic shifts continue to happen in Minnesota. From 2012 to 2016, communities of color and Native American students increased in population share of Minnesota’s community colleges by 10.5%. This dramatic shift in just four years should create a sense of urgency to address the racial disparities in political participation within Minnesota student communities.

Table 4

Programs with the Highest Voting Rates
2016

Programs with the Lowest Voting Rates
2016

Library Sciences

66.9%

Basic Skills Education

19.4%

Theology and Religious Vocations

60.5%

Military Science and Leadership

21.3%

Public Administration

60.4%

Mechanic and Repair

38.6%


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