The Athlete Vote

In an earlier post Chris commented on how engaged the students living in Campbell Hall are on campus and how vital their votes have been in previous NISG elections. This year, however, it seems that there is the potential for a new voting bloc to move in and influence the results of the presidential election: student athletes. Both Kyle and Brendan are members of UNI’s Track and Field team. Obviously, the connection will help them gain votes from members of their own organization, but several other athletic teams have been showing support for this ticket as well. With approximately 400 student athletes on campus, this group could really help Kyle and Brendan gain an advantage on election day.

There seems to be a stereotype that the UNI student athletes differ from the average student in regards to their voting habits in NISG elections. People seem to think that athletes are less likely to vote than other students on campus. The student athletes are actually more like the average student in respect to voting than you would expect. The number of students who vote in NISG elections has actually been fairly low as a percentage of the student body. Last year there was a total 2176 votes for presidential candidates. This means that less than 20% of the student body voted. Around 300 of these votes came from Campbell Hall alone, which makes them a force to be reckoned with if their level of participation continues. However, if the athletes come out in full force, they could easily match the expected number of Campbell Hall voters and become the new “kingmakers” on campus. It will be interesting to see the role that the student athletes play in this year’s election and what kind of impact they will have on future NISG elections.