Through the blaring sounds of Hip-Hop music, organizers with a Get Out The Vote rally offered pizza, drinks and information on how to vote. The rally was taking place less than a block away from an early voting center on Michigan State University’s campus.
“I hope people all come out today…if it’s not today… I hope everybody goes to the polls. Everybody votes. It is literally the most important thing you could do as a citizen of the United States," said Missy Chola, MSU senior and rally organizer with MSU's Black Student Alliance.
Chola has been focusing her efforts on motivating Black students to participate this election. She says this election is especially important for the Black community.
"This election we really want to push not only the youth, but the Black youth to vote," Chola added.
Chola is not alone in her efforts, in just the last week, some Democrats have lasered focus on students at Michigan State University students.
"This generation will live with the consequences of this election longer than the rest of us, and you have the biggest stake in its outcome," Governor Whitmer told dozens of MSU students. "Whether it's about common-sense gun safety, individual rights, or a path to prosperity through affordable housing and good-paying jobs, your voices matter. That's why we're here on campus."
Michigan’s Seventh Congressional District is up for grabs in the general election and students at Michigan State University could decide who wins, Republican Tom Barret or Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr. But getting young people to turn out can be a challenge.
"We find that Michigan's Seventh House District is the number one in the country where we believe young people could have a decisive impact," said Alberto Medina, spokesperson of the nonpartisan group, Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tuft's University.
Voter participation has been trending upward in Michigan since 2020 across all age groups, and that may be in part due to electoral reforms in the state's constitution in 2022. That year, Michiganders overwhelmingly approved an amendment allowing 16-year-olds the opportunity to pre-register to vote. The move also allows voters to fill out and cast a 'no-excuse' absentee ballots at least forty days before an election.
"It's become one of the easiest states to to register and vote for young people," said Medina. "Michigan also has other policies like automatic voter registration, same day registration, that our research finds can be really positive for increasing youth participation."
Despite that, the gap between young people who register to vote and those who actually cast a ballot persists.
Recent data from the last presidential election, show more than 1.4 million people under the age of 29 were registered to vote, but nearly 40% of them did not vote.
"One of the things that we have realized is that young people, especially those who don't attend college, who are Black and brown, are kind of disconnected from the civic engagement process," said Aghogho Edevbie, Michigan’s Deputy Secretary of State.
Increasing this group's participation is one of the reason's the city of East Lansing opted to open a voting center on MSU's campus.
The site is one of three across the state that opened to voters ahead of statewide early, in-person voting which began October 26.
"It's so important for students to be engaged," East Lansing Clerk Marie Wicks told WKAR. "Let's show everybody that Spartans will vote."
So far, efforts like this, meant to increase youth voter participation in Michigan, seem to be paying off, according to voter registration data. This election the state has increased the number of youth registered to vote by 12% compared to the 2020 presidential election.