Since Monday, more than 200 voters in East Lansing have cast their ballots in person directly at a voting center on Michigan State University’s campus. The site is one of three across the state that opened to voters ahead of early-in person voting which begins for most communities this weekend, and election officials say they are seeing more voters than they expected to.
“I'm super pleased to say the two-day total is 220 voters,” said East Lansing Clerk Marie Wicks. “Students have been on fall break the last couple days, so this is significant. I honestly was not expecting a quarter of that.”
In November 2022, Michiganders overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that gives voters the right to cast their ballots early and in person at least nine days before statewide and federal elections.
The move also allows voters to register in person, online or by mail at least two weeks before an election, or on election day by visiting their local clerk’s office.
“If they're voting for the first time and they're not currently registered, we absolutely can register them,” said Wicks. “The law requires that folks be here 30 days and we know students moved in late August, early September, so they’re absolutely eligible to vote here, but within two weeks of the election.”
To be eligible to register to vote in Michigan, a voter has to be a resident of the city or township they plan to vote in for at leas thirty days, be a U.S. citizen, and be at least 18 years old
This election cycle includes a number of first-time voters, many of them MSU students, who are taking advantage of the on campus voting center.
“I think it's important to have access on campus, because it's such a big campus, so getting off is really hard, especially if you're in the dorms,” said Maeve Dunckel. “I live off campus, so it's nice because I was already here for class, so it was very easy.”
That easy accessibility was one main reason this early voting center opened where it did. It's located in Studio B at WKAR. General Manager Shawn Turner said he was approached by MSUvote, asking on behalf of East Lansing election officials, if a studio might be able to be used as a voting precinct. MSU vote describes itself as "a non-partisan campus committee whose mission it is to increase the number of registered student voters, to inform and educate students on candidates and issues, and to bolster student participation on Election Day". Turner agreed the move made sense, by offering an easy access location for students, many of whom are new to the election process.
"We thought it would be a great idea to do is to demystify voting by having an early voting center right here on campus in the College of Communication, Arts and Sciences, where students can come in, they can register to vote, they can cast their ballot, and they can learn all about the voting process", he said.
Turner said this is only early voting center in Michigan that is housed at a public broadcasting station, and he has not seen a similar partnership anywhere in the country.
The on-campus early voting center is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Sunday November 3. Another early voting site will open Saturday at the Hannah Community Center, joining the other early in-person voting locations opening across the state.
Amy Robinson contributed to this story.