Ahead of an important Michigan primary, MSUvote will host a Michigan Primary Voter Registration Rally Tuesday, Feb. 6, from 6-8 p.m., in the STEM Building, room 1001. After registration, students and visitors can snack, socialize, play fun games, meet local clerks and more.  

Along with the registration rally Tuesday, MSUvote will host an additional nine days of voter registration opportunities across campus starting Feb. 17, leading directly into the Michigan primary election Feb. 27. More information will be available soon.  

MSUvote is Michigan State University’s nonpartisan voting initiative. Suchitra Webster, MSUvote co-director and director of the Office of Community and Student Relations, says that MSUvote champions civic discourse and the exchange of ideas. Through the initiative, they are committed to ensuring students are part of the electoral process. 

“One of our institutional objectives is to ensure our students are prepared to be part of the democratic civic engagement process for life,” says Webster. “With spring break coming early this year and many of the traditional barriers to voting no longer in existence, we wanted to give students an engaging way to learn about the primaries and to cast their ballots earlier.” 

Ensuring students are part of the electoral process means helping them learn and prepare for it as they enter this new phase of life. Students may not always have a lot of knowledge about the primary process and may be more interested in the November election. MSUvote continues to host a variety of programs to help students gain this vital knowledge.  

One of the foundational approaches is to collaborate with local clerks and election officials. Past successful voter-engagement efforts have been credited to the strong partnership between MSU and the Ingham County and East Lansing clerks’ offices. 

“They are consistent, committed partners, and we are excited to work with them again, as they bring the work straight to our students,” adds Webster. She believes these rallies are a good way to learn, engage and practice democratic civic engagement. Strong turnout and a desire to learn and participate are all ideal outcomes. 

Thanks to the efforts of MSUvote, MSU students turned out in droves to make their voices heard in November 2022 for the midterm elections. MSUvote used their collaborations to bring rotating East Lansing clerk satellite offices to locations throughout campus. Over 2,600 students voted across campus, with thousands more voting at their primary residence or by absentee ballot, continuing a rising trend in student turnout that that had grown to over 76% for the 2020 general elections. 

These trends allowed MSU to be named a Voter Friendly Campus in 2023-24 by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The designation recognizes institutions that have planned and implemented practices that encourage students to register and vote while also working to overcome barriers that limit participation in the political process. 

Webster says, “One of the best ways for students to become active and vocal participants is to exercise their right to vote.”