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Kimberly Burnett
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Salem State University’s voter rate reached 65 percent for the 2016 election, more than the national 50.4 percent average for universities nationwide during the same timeframe.
According to the NSLVE (National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement) campus report, 85 percent of Salem State students were registered to vote, and of that cohort, 77 percent voted, giving SSU a 65 percent voting rate.
NSLVE is an initiative of the Institute for Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University and measures voter registration and voting rates of students who are eligible to vote at over 1,000 universities nationwide.
“This voting data is impressive, significant, and further affirms the work we are doing in engaging our students with the civic issues that are being discussed in our communities and nationwide,” said Cynthia Lynch, director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Salem State. “Voting is tremendously important and we are proud that our students are exercising their right to cast their ballots.”
According to the report, Salem State significantly improved its 2012 rate in two categories. In 2012, only 59.5 percent of males were registered to vote, in 2016, however, that increased to 70.8 percent. Similarly, the percentage of voters aged 18-21 was 49.2 percent in 2012 and increased to 58.5 percent in 2016.
Salem State’s Center for Civic Engagement continues its election season activities this academic year with voter drives, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) advocacy events; candidate forums; Pizza, Politics, and Policy programming; and a large Get Out the Vote effort on Election Day.