About Us
OSU Votes 2010:
OSU Votes is a non-partisan, student-run organization that intends to educate, register, and engage undergraduate students at The Ohio State University in the voting process. This organization will encourage participation in all elections- local, state, and federal- and register all eligible undergraduate students at The Ohio State University by producing comprehensive, informative literature and by holding relevant events, along with frequent voter registration drives. The organization also has the intention of encouraging equal access to campus by all candidates and ballot issue campaigns, while always encouraging political activism and civic engagement.
2004 sparked a dramatic increase in the number of college students participating in the election process. Young people participated in the 2004 election in considerably larger numbers than they had in the previous two presidential elections. College-aged voters had larger gains in turnout than any other age group compared with turnout in 2000 — more than twice the increase of any other age group. Ohio's youth voter turnout was particularly strong with their highest turnout since 1972, when 18-20 year-olds were first given the right to vote.
- 47 percent of 18-24 year-olds turned out for the 2004 elections, up from 36 percent in 2000 (3 million more voters).
- 74 percent of college students reported voting in the 2004 election, nearly twice the turnout of non-college students.
- Over 85 percent of college students said they followed the presidential election very or somewhat closely.
To build upon the successes in 2004, the John Glenn Civic Leadership Council and Undergraduate Student Government have partnered on a new nonpartisan election and engagement initiative, OSU Votes. OSU Votes is dedicated to three primary objectives:
- To register new college-aged voters;
- To educate and mobilize them for the November elections;
- To impress upon young people the interconnectedness of politics, public policy, and community service by encouraging constructive dialogue and highlighting the vast number of programs and events occurring on campus daily that can help a student become a more engaged citizen.
Although voting is a key indicator of citizen engagement in the democratic process, civic engagement can take many forms and be expressed in a wide variety of ways — from involvement in student and civic organizations to playing an active role in politics and government. OSU Votes hopes to capitalize on this civic renewal among Ohio State students by further increasing the linkages between students, the university, and the Columbus community. OSU Votes is yet another example of Ohio State's commitment to its motto, "Education For Citizenship".