Elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7th. MSU students and East Lansing residents can vote in-person at any of the area’s 17 polling locations.

But according to MSU political science professor and Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research Matt Grossmann, students don't often get involved in voting.  

“Historically, very few students vote in local elections,” Grossmann said.

Grossmann said over three quarters of East Lansing residents are current students, but the majority of voters in local elections are often permanent homeowner residents.

“So there's the potential for students to have a significant say in city government,” Grossmann said. “But that potential is almost never realized because students fail to participate in local elections.”

For this reason, he said, local officials tend to cater to the interests of homeowners, overlooking student issues such as the development of affordable rental housing.

“The people who vote in local elections tend to be homeowners, and they might be less interested in producing rental opportunities for students,” Grossmann said.

He said while student voters have less at stake in local elections, their vote has more of an influence at that level than in national elections.

Grossmann added that students demonstrated their political power in last year’s midterm election, when a state referendum regarding abortion rights led to a high student voter turnout. 

“So far, that (turnout) has not extended to these local elections,” Grossmann said. “But if it did, then it might change outcomes.”

MSU College Democrats Vice President and political theory junior Liam Richichi said he is "disappointed" with the university’s lack of promoting student participation in the election.

“Unfortunately this year, not one single message has been put out by the university in regards to voting procedures on where to vote, how to vote (and) how to register to vote,” Richichi said.

Local elections are significant for students because the outcome has a more direct impact than national elections, he said.

“(City council) are the ones who are literally deciding what buildings are going where with zoning requirements, how students are being kept safe by the LPD and how students are being included in the economic development of East Lansing,” Richichi said. “It's those … day-to-day things that we, as students, see in our community on the north side of Grand River.”

Journalism senior Jakayla Taylor said she plans to vote in Tuesday’s election, but hasn’t had the time to learn more about the candidates.

“I’ve been so consumed with my personal life that I haven’t been as up-to-date on stuff,” Taylor said. “I try to stay informed overall politically … but honestly, not as of right now.”

Taylor has worked in local government before with the city of Detroit and her experience has helped educate her on what candidates will make good city council members. 

“I genuinely want someone for the people,” she said. “There’s a lot of things that go on that aren’t in the best interests of people within the community. I would like to see them actually being out more.”

Games and interactive media junior Charles Lamb shared the challenges he faced when attempting to vote in last year’s election.

Lamb, who is from Sterling Heights, found it difficult to re-register as an East Lansing voter.

“I was trying to get the mail-in stuff done and it was complicated because I had to switch my address to a dorm where I was living from my permanent address,” he said. “The ballot just never got to me.”

Lamb said he hopes to find out more about the candidates he’ll be voting for in the upcoming election.

“(Voting) is really the most direct way people can interact with the laws that are made,” Lamb said. “There’s obviously other stuff you can do, but I would say that voting is probably the top.” 

On-campus polling locations are at Brody Hall, the MSU Union, IM Sports West and IM Sports East. Students can register to vote at their designated polling location with photo identification.

Students in a political science class led by professor Sarah Reckhow have created an online voter’s guide for the city of East Lansing.

According to the website, students of Reckhow’s class created the guide to “increase access to reliable and impartial information to inform residents of their voter needs.” 

The guide has information on the eight city council election candidates, the three proposals and current local issues.