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WashU Votes hosts on-campus polling for municipal election for the first time

WashU Votes hosted a polling location for the Missouri Municipal election on April 2. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)
WashU Votes and Washington University’s Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement hosted a polling place in the Danforth University Center for the Missouri Municipal Election for the first time in the University’s history, April 2.
Over 230 students, faculty, and staff voted in the election, which included propositions for allocating money for sewer system development as well as voting for school boards and other leadership roles.
Landon Kahl, a first-year who voted in the election, said that the polling location gave him an accessible opportunity to vote, which he otherwise would not have had.
“Honestly, I would’ve been less likely to vote had there not been a polling place on campus,” Kahl said. “I have class, I don’t have a car, how do I get to a polling place? It’s such a privilege having a polling place in the DUC.”
Other voters spoke about the convenience of having an accessible voting place which they could utilize between classes or during their lunch break. Caitlin Custer, Senior Communications Writer for Sam Fox, said she appreciated how easy voting was because of the new polling location.
“I was very happy with how fast and easy it was,” Custer said. “It was great that I could just come to work like normal and get it done versus having to make a special trip…It’s a huge help for us [staff], especially if you’re dealing with childcare and stuff like that.”
The polling station in the DUC featured WashU Votes merchandise, music, and free food. Allan Knight, Voting Engagement Chair of WashU Votes, said that the DUC was available as a voting station for anybody in the WashU community.
“It’s very accessible to not only students on campus, but also to outside community members,” Knight said. “Not only does WashU pay for everything, they also pay for parking and things like that.”
WashU Votes and the Gephardt Institute have emphasized voter turnout on campus, with their 2024 voter engagement plan receiving praise from national democracy groups, such as the Strengthening American Democracy committee.
Sophomore Hannah Pignataro, co-president of WashU Votes, described how WashU Votes tries to bolster student voter turnout.
“We’re just trying to register as many students as possible,” Pignataro said. “We also canvas the campus. We go around the South 40, knock on doors, hand out [literature], help people get registered to vote, encourage turnout, and answer any questions they might have.”
Otto Brown, the Civic Engagement Manager at the Gephardt Institute, said that being an engaged citizen means being involved at a local level.
“Part of what we do at the Gephardt Institute is to try to [create] engaged citizens who are well-informed and able to participate in democracy in a way that is really meaningful,” Brown said. “That means understanding what’s going on at the local level and getting involved and becoming educated.”
The Missouri Municipal Election is a smaller, local election. Local elections typically receive smaller voter turnout than federal elections across the nation.
Senior Spencer Kates, one of the 230 people who used the DUC polling station, stated that voting was important to him, especially in local elections.
“I feel like it’s my duty to vote, especially in smaller, municipal elections,” Kates said. “This is the stuff that actually affects everyday life for me and my family. I feel like voting is something that should be held in a higher regard and [as] having more of an effect on everyday life than some people currently viewing it as having.”
Megan Belcher, a Ph.D candidate from the Department of Anthropology, similarly emphasized the direct effects local elections have on her daily life.
“I care about the community and where I live, and want to make sure I play an active role in shaping how money is spent,” Belcher said. “As you live in a place for a long time, you want to make sure you have good infrastructure and help people when needed.”
This year’s Missouri Municipal Election included school board elections for numerous schools, as well as elections for alderperson and more. Two propositions, W and S, were also on the ballot. Both involved funding for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, a government body, to make many renovations to the sewer system in order to prevent flooding and erosion.
The propositions were made in the wake of frequent and severe flooding, with one flood in July of 2022 leading to two casualties and significant damage, which the Metrolink system has only just fully recovered from.
Graduate student Christina Youngpeter said that these sewer renovations are necessary.
“I thought it was important that we take control of the flooding situation,” Youngpeter said. “The fact that we’re taking measures to prevent future floods is important.”
Ben Leach, a graduate student, said his public health education at the University has raised his awareness of the importance of sanitation, including sewer maintenance.
“I’m a public health student, so things like sanitation and education are huge predictors of long term outcomes across [one’s] life span. Even just living in [University City], smelling the sewage frequently, it’s a very present thing,” Leach said. “It’s stuff that I see a lot in my studies.”
Proposition W, the borrowing of $750 million in bonds for sewer renovations, passed with a 79.9% majority (89,211 votes), while Proposition S, the raising of property taxes to prevent flooding/erosion, passed by a narrower 57.03% majority (63,622 votes).
There are two more upcoming elections in Missouri: the primary election on August 6 and the general election on Nov. 5. In an email to Student Life, Otto Brown spoke about the Gephardt Institute’s plans for the upcoming November election.
“We anticipate hosting a polling place in the Athletic Complex for the Nov. 5, 2024 General Election,” Brown said. “We also plan to host ‘Party at the Polls’ outside the Athletic Complex to build a festival-like atmosphere around the election, similar to what was pioneered in 2022.”
Brown said students should be aware of the upcoming elections, adding that the registration deadline for the November election is Oct. 9.
“It’s really just about making sure that students get registered and turn out to vote so that they can have their voice heard and turn that into a lifelong habit of engaged [citizenship],” Brown said.
Hadia Khatri, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Editor, contributed to reporting.