March of young voters

Despite voter suppression actions by the N.C. General Assembly, from voter ID laws to curbs on campus precincts, the signs are that students may be out and voting this year and next.

Consider what happened last week in Raleigh. On Thursday morning, more than 100 students from Shaw and St. Augustine’s universities got together and walked from Shaw’s campus near downtown Raleigh to the Wake County Board of Elections downtown. They went to cast their votes in advance of Tuesday’s Raleigh City Council election.

The Youth Government Association, which seeks to spur college students to become more involved in politics, helped organize the vote and will work on other campuses, including N.C. State University.

There’s also evidence that the presence of some younger candidates in the Raleigh election may bring out other youthful voters, meaning those under 30. While the use of sidewalks by downtown Raleigh bars at late night hours has stirred some millennials, younger voters have other concerns, among them transit (many like to ride bicycles or catch buses and hope for light rail) and housing costs. It appears they’re speaking out and that they’re the target of voter registration drives.

These younger voters really can’t be categorized as Republican or Democrat or liberal or conservative. They typically are drawn into the electoral process because of issues, not party loyalty. They want to have their say. And that’s good for the city and democracy itself.

This story was originally published October 4, 2015 at 2:34 PM with the headline "March of young voters."