Anne Zabala views the University of Idaho campus differently than most people.
Zabala, a recent UI graduate, works with university students as the campaign manager for Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, and Laurene Sorensen, Democratic candidate for the Idaho House of Representatives. She is also president of the Idaho Young Democrats.
Zabala said she knows first-hand how difficult it is getting students to the polls and to vote in local elections. It’s difficult to contact them and they usually have relatively low knowledge about local elections compared to long-time residents.
But everyone working for her, on staff or as a volunteer, is a student from UI.
A common goal for students working for campaigns and non-partisan organizations has been to encourage peers to register to vote throughout the semester.
ASUI lobbyist Rachael Miller, who works for Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee, is part of the College Republicans group, which tables once a week, two hours at a time, and succeeds in registering 10-15 people each week. Though she is happy they are reaching students, she said the rate they’re going is not enough to meet their goal of registering 300 new voters in time for the election.
“Caroline would love to be more active on campus, but the problem is students don’t care about local elections,” Miller said. “But she definitely hasn’t written off the student population.”
Zabala said her team has registered more than 200 new voters.
“But that doesn’t indicate turnout,” Zabala said. “There’s a lot more steps with new voters than with reliable voters. You have to get them registered, but then you also have to get them informed and to the polls on Election Day.”
Schmidt, first elected in 2010, has experience campaigning to voters in Latah County.
“What was really interesting for the Democrats was the number that showed up for the Democratic Caucus,” Schmidt said. “Now, I don’t know if they will be back for the election.”
Schmidt said students are uniquely difficult to engage in an election.
“The way I’ve been taught to campaign is you find the voters and remind them to vote,” Schmidt said. “But if students aren’t here for the summer, you can’t find them. If they move apartments, you can’t find them. If they’ve moved away, but they still show up in the system, you can’t find them.”
ASUI Sen. Tanner Beymer, field director for the Republican Party in District 5, said many students actually vote, but they vote absentee to their hometown. He said many students don’t know they can vote in local elections after living in the district for only 30 days. Beymer said though he was a passionate voter in his hometown, he has been registered in District 5 for the last four years.
“This election is not just Trump and Clinton,” Beymer said. “You’re also voting for representatives in the legislature who represent this area’s unique needs.”
Sorensen said it’s a better civics lesson to register and vote locally because students get to have more personal interactions with the candidates.
Sorensen said although most UI students will only live in District 5 for a few years, their participation is still important given how much the university is a part of the local economy and community.
“Students in college are largely part of the community they come from and some see Latah County as just part of their route of going to where they want to,” Sorensen said. “So, a big way to get more students to participate locally is to help them identify how they are a part of the community.”
Troy, who worked at UI for 12 years as a fundraiser and executive director of development, said decisions made in the legislature have just as much an impact on students’ lives as what happens at the federal level.
Troy said it was easy to decide to work with students in ASUI and the College Republicans due to her history with the university.
McKenzie MacDonald, who also works for Troy, said she wishes more of her peers cared about local elections.
“It’s always really hard when there’s something you really, really care about and the people around you don’t,” MacDonald said. “It can be really disheartening to see people disinterested.”
MacDonald said this doesn’t stop her from talking about local politics as much as she can to get her peers involved.
Beymer said people look at him like he’s crazy when they see how involved he is in local politics.
“As is the case with politics, most of the time it’s you’re either dyed-in-the-wool or you couldn’t care less,” Beymer said. “But I think there can be a good balance between the two.”
Schmidt, first elected in 2010, has experience campaigning to voters in Latah County.
“What was really interesting for the Democrats was the number that showed up for the Democratic Caucus,” Schmidt said. “Now, I don’t know if they will be back for the election.”
Schmidt said students are uniquely difficult to engage in an election.
“The way I’ve been taught to campaign is you find the voters and remind them to vote,” Schmidt said. “But if students aren’t here for the summer, you can’t find them. If they move apartments, you can’t find them. If they’ve moved away, but they still show up in the system, you can’t find them.”
ASUI Sen. Tanner Beymer, field director for the Republican Party in District 5, said many students actually vote, but they vote absentee to their hometown. He said many students don’t know they can vote in local elections after living in the district for only 30 days. Beymer said though he was a passionate voter in his hometown, he has been registered in District 5 for the last four years.
“This election is not just Trump and Clinton,” Beymer said. “You’re also voting for representatives in the legislature who represent this area’s unique needs.”
Sorensen said it’s a better civics lesson to register and vote locally because students get to have more personal interactions with the candidates.
Sorensen said although most UI students will only live in District 5 for a few years, their participation is still important given how much the university is a part of the local economy and community.
“Students in college are largely part of the community they come from and some see Latah County as just part of their route of going to where they want to,” Sorensen said. “So, a big way to get more students to participate locally is to help them identify how they are a part of the community.”
Troy, who worked at UI for 12 years as a fundraiser and executive director of development, said decisions made in the legislature have just as much an impact on students’ lives as what happens at the federal level.
Troy said it was easy to decide to work with students in ASUI and the College Republicans due to her history with the university.
McKenzie MacDonald, who also works for Troy, said she wishes more of her peers cared about local elections.
“It’s always really hard when there’s something you really, really care about and the people around you don’t,” MacDonald said. “It can be really disheartening to see people disinterested.”
MacDonald said this doesn’t stop her from talking about local politics as much as she can to get her peers involved.
Beymer said people look at him like he’s crazy when they see how involved he is in local politics.
“As is the case with politics, most of the time it’s you’re either dyed-in-the-wool or you couldn’t care less,” Beymer said. “But I think there can be a good balance between the two.”
Nishant Mohan
can be reached
or on Twitter @NishantRMohan