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Young voters’ concern of absentee ballots

Young voters gather at the Burkhart building.

MUNCIE, Ind.---The youngest voters are all around campus, carrying backpacks and textbooks, but they may be losing faith in the democratic process.

While some students place their votes in their hometown, absentee ballots are the most common method of voting on university campuses. After the controversial mail-in ballots from the 2020 election, this midterm election may be more impactful than ever for the incumbents, candidates and constituents. 

Campus groups and local committees are all rallying voters for one cause or another. The Ball State Democrats group is encouraging voting and sharing their thoughts on absentee ballots. Mason Masters, a Ball State Senior and Communications Director for Ball State Democrats believes that mail-in voting is positive for elections.

“Democrats have only gotten more comfortable with mail-in voting,” Masters said.

On the other side of the aisle, club president for Ball State Republicans, Grant Wilson, doesn’t believe the mail-in ballots will prove useful in this election.

“Our trust hasn’t really improved for mail-in ballots because we believe it leads to a lot of ambiguity and the slow process of vote counting,” Wilson said.

Young voters are unsure about mail-in ballots after the controversial election held in 2020. Allison Flook, a Ball State sophomore, plans to vote in person Tuesday but recommends absentee voting for those, “who have really busy lives,” Flook said.

To find your polling location or candidates in your area visit vote.org.

Contact Kennedy Court  with comments at Kennedy.court@bsu.edu