Candidates Court Millennials; Sanders Wins Big on Campus

Millennial voter participation has interested many during the 2016 election season. Various local candidates came to the UW-Milwaukee campus Tuesday, from an alderman to the mayor, to court Millennials, who were expected to turn out in big numbers for Bernie Sanders.

And they did.

Ultimately, in the presidential contest, students voting in the Sandburg dorms overwhelming chose Democrat Sanders (also the state winner).

Sanders received 1,081 votes to Hillary Clinton’s 231 and Ted Cruz’s 156 in the Sandburg Ward. Sanders and Cruz would go on to win the state of Wisconsin both by 13-point margins.

Thanks to the presidential candidates running, particularly Sanders, the millennial youth seemed eager to participate in American democracy and have their voices heard.

Millennials make up the same proportion of the U.S. voting-age population as the Baby Boomers currently and a lot of politicians, especially local officials are taking a serious note to this development. 3rd District Alderman Nik Kovac is one of those officials, as he spent a large amount of time campaigning on the campus of UW-Milwaukee.

“I know voter turnout will be high due to it being a presidential primary,” said Kovac. “I’m hoping local races won’t be left blank by the students as half of my district consists of students”

The incumbent Kovac won Tuesday night with 73 percent of the vote over opponent Shannan Hayden. In the Sandburg Ward, he received 794 votes.

Chris Larson, who ran for Milwaukee County Executive and ultimately lost Tuesday night, is a graduate of UW-Milwaukee. He was also campaigning on campus, running against his Democratic opponent, incumbent Chris Abele.

“I am a millennial, and I think my platform is more oriented for young people,” said Larson. “Chris Abele is a corporate Democrat, and he thinks of government as a business. I think of it as a community promoting the importance of parks, mental health, and I think that concept of government is more attractive to millennials.”

Larson would end up losing his race to Abele by a 10% margin as the entirety of Milwaukee County voted. In the Sandburg Ward, he received 714 votes to Abele’s 445, which is a significant millennial difference as both candidates were Democrats.

Lastly in the local races, Mayor Tom Barrett was in the Union campaigning and even though he was projected to win his race by a landslide, he still emphasized the significance of the millennial vote.

“It’s very important, as a lot of students are excited about the election because of Bernie Sanders,” said Barrett. “That is good because they are the future of the City of Milwaukee and they should participate in the election process.”

As expected, Mayor Barrett won his re-election in a 70-30 landslide over Alderman Bob Donovan. In the Sandburg Ward, he received 989 votes to Donovan’s 270.

On the other side is the increased turnout of Republican voters due to outsider candidates such as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, who have attracted new voters and some independent conservatives. State wide the GOP turnout effect was best exemplified when incumbent Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley defeated JoAnne Kloppenburg by a 6% margin in what was projected to be a tight judicial race.

The largest reason for such a high millennial turnout is obviously because of the presidential primary. Even with the new voter-ID law enacted in Wisconsin, the Sandburg Ward Election Chief Richard Withers noticed the significant turnout.

“This is the highest turnout I’ve ever seen,” said Withers. “The voter-ID law has definitely slowed the process, and it especially affects students because they can’t use their school IDs and that they move a lot to different neighborhoods that have different wards.”