There was large student turnout for the 2024 election on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus on Nov. 5.  At Davies Student Center, the polling center for on-campus students and those in Ward 20, saw high numbers of students registering and voting.

Despite the large number of voters, registration and voting went smoothly, allowing for the largest recorded turnouts according to Max Neu, a poll worker.

 “It was really busy in the morning after the first morning class until 2 p.m. It’s been a little slow towards the end of the day,” Neu said. 

Neu also reported that, at points, the lines stretched across half the length of Davies but they believed it moved efficiently. 

“Overall, it went really smoothly,” Neu said. “The longest wait I heard was forty minutes to get their ballot.”

This high level of turnout was likely due to the significant nature of the presidential election, but many students also voted out of a sense of duty. Nolan Diffor, a math education major, spoke about this.

 “I think it’s important to use the right to vote,” Differ said. “It’s not always been something we’ve had and we should take advantage of it.”

Regardless of motivations, UW-Eau Claire students came out in force, with over 1,000 students registering and over 1,400 votes on campus according to Neu. 

While it’s not believed to be the record of student turnout, it’s not cut and dry, as Aaron Brewster, city councilman and poll worker, said. 

“The numbers differ from year to year, because the student body changes in size . . . The number of students living on campus changes. There’s new residence halls on campus like Suites, but some, like Kathrine Thomas, are no longer here.” Brewster said. “ There are also more students living in residence halls that don’t vote in Davies such as Aspen Morgensan, Haymarket and the Priory.”

Regardless of changes, the turnout for the 2024 election surpassed the last presidential election in 2020. According to Eau Claire County records, it recorded roughly 600 votes in the entire ward 20. 

In the last four years, the number of UW-Eau Claire student voters has been on the rise. The 2022 election saw almost 1,000 votes in ward 20, which appears to be part of an ongoing trend. 

This presidential election more than doubled the amount of voter turnout in ward 20 compared to 2020, as can be seen in the Eau Claire County records. 

Despite it keeping him busy, Dale Langer, a chief poll inspector, said he believes the increasing number of student voters is here to stay. 

“I think it’ll carry forward into future election cycles,” Langer said. “I think it bodes well going forward.”

This large student voter turnout could also have large political effects in the near future. 

Matthew Lehner, chair of the Wisconsin College Democrats, said he believes both Democrats and Republicans are going to be increasingly focused on youth voters. 

“They’ll be more responsive to the needs and concerns of young people. Now both parties can’t take the youth vote for granted, because we do show up now and when we show up, it’s in record numbers,” Lehner said. 

Sherry can be reached at [email protected].