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Good number of JCCC students voted in 2012, report shows

September 28, 2016

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – As the nation goes to the polls to elect a president in November, Johnson County Community College again will participate in a national study that gauges how many college students choose to engage in the democratic process.

The National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, led by the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education at Tufts University, offers colleges and universities an opportunity to learn their student registration and voting rates. More than 900 universities and colleges take part.

During the 2012 presidential election, nearly one out of every two (48.8 percent) JCCC students who were eligible to vote participated. That was higher than the national average of 44.8 percent for associate institutions. That year, 70.9 percent of JCCC’s eligible students were registered to vote.

The study also showed that 42.3 percent of traditional college students (ages 18 to 24) voted compared with the national average of 41.2 percent and the Kansas average of 33.7 percent for the same age group, according to census.gov.

JCCC expects to receive a follow-up report in June that will include results from the 2016 presidential election.

The report can be used as a benchmark for student organizations that are interested in increasing the voting participation of JCCC students.

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