ANN ARBOR, MI - Voter turnout tripled among University of Michigan students in the 2019 midterm elections, compared to four years earlier.

Data released by the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement showed that more than 15,800 students voted in the 2018 midterms - up from 5,282 in 2014 - raising the student voting rate at UM from 14% to 41%.

The increase at UM exceeded the national average among college students, which increased from 19% in 2014 to 40% in 2018.

UM and other Big Ten institutions ramped up efforts to get more students registered to vote leading up to the midterm elections through The Big Ten Voting Challenge. The initiative aims to increase the number of eligible student voters across the country and encourage participation at the polls for all elections.

Led by UM’s Ginsberg Center, the challenge will award the campus with the greatest overall turnout in 2018 and the campus with the greatest growth in turnout from 2014 to 2018. Results from the challenge are expected to be released later this month.