In the 2012 presidential election, only 44.4% of eligible students at the University of Michigan voted. However, 70.6% of eligible students were registered to vote in 2012. In the 2016 presidential election, only 44.7% of eligible students at the University of Michigan voted. However, 68.2% of eligible students were registered to vote in 2016 (NSLVE Campus Report). The voting rate amongst college students across the country is 50.4% which is extremely low and problematic (NSLVE Campus Report). For the purpose of increasing political participation amongst our country’s future leaders, it is essential for institutions to cancel class on election day in order to encourage higher voter turnout. The University of Michigan needs to be the first to take action and influence institutions nationwide to take the same action, especially due to the fact that the University of Michigan voting rate is 6% lower than the average. 

During the 2016 presidential election, many students were unable to vote due to the time constraints they faced, including mandatory classes, clubs, studying and other extracurricular activities. Students would put in the effort, standing in lines stretching as long as 3 hours at the Michigan Union, with the hopes of fulfilling their constitutional right, but were let down by the inefficiency of the polls; students were forced to leave the line to attend their class. This will be a much larger health and safety concern in the 2020 election due to the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic. Students need to have the entire day open for voting, in order to ensure that individuals are not forced to choose between voting and their health; if lines are too long, students can choose to wait to vote or check other locations, and vote where they feel most comfortable. 

In signing this petition, I believe that students are denied their right as citizens to vote in elections, especially on the University of Michigan campus. Students are inhibited by classes scheduled on the day of presidential elections (general and primary), and while the USPS is currently facing mass delays around the country, the cancellation of classes on these days is the necessary solution in order to provide equal access to voting to all students, as many students fear that their vote will not be counted if they vote through absentee voting. In the absence of class on November 3, 2020, students will finally have an equal opportunity to express their opinion through voting for our nation's leaders. The university needs to take this action in order to improve voter turnout and encourage students to represent their beliefs through political participation.