WU voter turnout rose 8.4 points between the 2016 and 2020 elections

A few weeks ago I spoke with professors John Inazu and Mark Valeri to discuss some aspects of the 2020 election. Both professors brought up topics unrelated to the election, like religion in academia, that I found fascinating. The following Q&A is a combination of our first and second talks, shortened and edited for clarity.

On Wednesday morning, the day after Election Day, I sat down over Zoom with John Inazu, a Professor of Law, Religion, and Political Science, and Mark Valeri, a professor of religion and politics, to ask them about the outcome of election night.

A streamlined voting process enabled a smooth Election Day for on-campus Washington University undergraduate voters, as Republicans swept Missouri’s elections and won a swing House district just west of the University.

Just 52.5% of eligible students voted in 2016 and 41.8% in 2018, but as students head to the polls today, there is optimism that student voter turnout will increase from past years to meet WashU Votes’ goal of 62.5%.

Every morning, sophomore Emma Singh wakes up at 5 a.m, what she calls an “ungodly hour,” to the soothing sound of National Public Radio and the gentle glow of her natural light alarm clock. Then she gets to work.

The 2020 Campus Crossfire debate featured a fast-paced discussion with few areas of overlap between representatives from the College Democrats and College Republicans.

Here’s a list of ways that you can get involved in the election on campus this year and remain informed.

However, the fly on Vice President Pence’s hair garnered similar attention to the debate on Roe v Wade, and more attention than the issue of climate change and the Supreme Court appointments.

Maya Nepos’ TikTok origin story began the same way as mine and probably yours too. After being sent home from school in March—in her case, a study abroad program—something had to fill the quarantine void. “I was just sad and in my room, and bored, and I was like ‘I guess I’ll download this, I don’t have anything else better to do with my time now that I have so much time.’”