A ballot sitting in a dorm drawer is not a vote. Student voter turnout in Colorado is getting a late push, and the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley is leading it. A student-run, nonpartisan group is trying to expand turnout before polls close on Nov. 3, according to CBS Colorado. Here’s the part that matters if you’re a student, or the parent of one: the easy way to vote by mail is already gone.
The student voter turnout push at UNC
The effort runs through the Bears Vote Coalition, which helps eligible students register and vote regardless of their politics. UNC says the group is working to keep its participation strong, per CBS. The school also plans an on-campus Election Day party for students after they vote. CBS did not give a time or place for it, so check with the university before you plan around it.
Student body president Joshua Rudnik put the goal plainly. “As long as they’re getting out to vote, their voices are heard, and that’s what we’re hoping to achieve here,” he told CBS. There is no numeric target, so “expand turnout” is a hope, not a promise.
Why college voter turnout numbers matter
UNC estimates that more than 80% of eligible students voted in the 2020 presidential election. National turnout that year was just over 60%. That 80% figure is the school’s own estimate, and I couldn’t find independent data to confirm it. Either way, it shows what college voter turnout can look like when a campus makes voting easy.
The long view is just as striking. UNC reported 53% student turnout in 2018, with more than 6,300 students voting. That was up from 2,313 voters in 2014. Roughly 82% of them voted by mail.
Here’s the thing: the mail window has closed
The deadline to register and still get a ballot by mail passed on Oct. 26. Postmarks don’t count in Colorado either. The state must receive ballots by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3, according to the Colorado Democratic Party’s voter guide. So if a ballot is still sitting in a dorm drawer, deliver it by hand instead of mailing it.
Students have options, and campus voting is built for exactly this scramble. UNC says a Weld County voter service and polling center operates on campus, with a 24-hour ballot drop-off. A UNC Bear ID counts as valid voter ID, per the Bears Vote page. The student paper, The Mirror, reports that campus ballot services open at the Campus Commons on Oct. 30. That date comes from a single source, so confirm it. I also could not verify the exact Weld County site on campus or its hours.
Voters can still register and vote in person on Election Day. The Colorado Secretary of State says voting centers run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and anyone in line at 7 p.m. gets to vote.
What’s on the ballot for young voters
The Northern Colorado ballot is long, and young voter turnout could swing several of its races. It includes a U.S. Senate seat, governor, attorney general, every congressional district, local races and 14 statewide ballot measures, per KUNC’s voter guide. The Mirror says student concerns include affordability, college costs, immigration and public safety.
What happens next
Counting won’t finish on Election Day. Voters who need to fix a signature problem on their ballot have until about Nov. 11 or 12, depending on the source, so confirm the date with the Secretary of State. UNC’s final numbers will likely surface later through the national ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, which the school has joined since 2016. Those results will show whether this year’s student voter turnout held up.
Colorado has a track record to defend. It had the fifth-highest youth turnout in the country in the 2022 midterms, at 33%, compared with about 23% nationally.
Now the question is whether Greeley’s students, with a party waiting, can top their own streak.
