Due to Pennsylvania’s historical status as a competitive swing state in presidential elections, some Dickinson students have been motivated to register to vote in Pa. rather than their home states in an attempt to have more influence in the presidential campaign.

According to Assistant Professor of Political Science Sarah Niebler, people who are interested in the presidential elections and are not invested in local races might consider voting in Pa. in the general election, given that the state seems to be very competitive.

“Based on conversations I had with my classes this semester, it seems as though many very involved students (like those who are political science majors) intend to register or stay registered in their home states where they can vote in down-ballot races (like Senator; House; or state-level races) they are interested in,” reports Niebler.  “I do expect, however, as the conversation about politics on campus ramps up in the fall and as student organizations host voter registration drives, that some subset of our students will register and vote in Pa.”

Pennsylvania voters are required to register with a particular party to vote in state primaries, which will be held on Tuesday, April 26. Since “young voters tend to identify more as independents,” says Niebler, that may affect their decisions to register for the Pa. primaries.

Indeed, many Dickinson students say that they want to maintain their voter registration in their native states so that they can vote in local and state-level elections.

“I’m not switching because I’m very invested in my local community,” says Elaine Hang ’19, who is from California.  “Also, I find that politics in California are really exciting!”

“I did not switch from registration in

Connecticut for the presidential primary elections because I am more invested in my local politics as my father is the mayor of our small town,” reports Ian Ridgway ’19.  “I would enjoy having my vote be one in a swing state, however, local politics have more direct weight on my life.”

“I didn’t switch and voted in my home state’s primary instead,” states Mychal Herber ’19.  “I chose not to switch because I consider Wisconsin to be more my home than Pennsylvania, and it [Wisconsin] is also a swing state, so I figured my vote might also matter there.”

Several students interviewed from Maryland and New Jersey, states that politico.com calls “safe Democratic states,” share that they would now consider switching their registrations to Pa. because they feel their votes will actually count. Other students from similarly Democratic states such as New York report that they would not switch simply because they wish to vote for local issues that they care about and support local officials.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State website, voting and election statistics show that as of April 3, 2016, there are 4,055,950 Democratic voters and 3,122,135 Republican voters, as well as 667,231 voters registered as independent or registered with no party affiliation.  This volume of Democratic voters results from voters in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, cities that are overwhelmingly Democratic.