Talis Shelbourne

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The turnout of young voters, especially in midterm elections, has never been good.

Last month, a PRRI/The Atlantic survey on civic engagement found that just 35 percent of young Americans (ages 18 to 29), said they were absolutely certain to vote. A poll done by the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government was a little more optimistic, finding that 40 percent planned to vote.

Either number would actually be a big jump from the last midterms in 2014, when a shade under 20 percent went to the polls. But considering that other age groups consistently turn out in far higher percentages, and the national turnout is predicted to be about 55 percent, there's no question that young people are under-represented.

With that in mind, we went to Milwaukee campuses — Marquette, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Alverno College — to talk with students about whether they were heading to the polls on Tuesday. Many were adamant that they would vote, but a fair number acknowledged that it wasn't in their plans. Interestingly, only women would agree to be quoted, and most of them were from Alverno — an all-women's school.

Here's a synopsis of their thoughts.

Marvellis Morgan: 'Bleach' or 'acid'?

Marvellis Morgan said she didn't vote in the last election and is leaning toward not voting in next week's midterms.

"It was like choosing, do I want to drink bleach or do I want to drink acid?" Morgan, 21, said about the 2016 presidential election.

Morgan, a student at Alverno, is a registered Democrat who supported Bernie Sanders. When he didn't win the nomination, she felt like her vote didn't matter. That decision caused a rift in her family.

"Me and my mom have altercations all the time because I didn't vote," she admitted.

Morgan said she wishes more politicians were involved at the community level and interacted with the public — even when they're not campaigning. She also said she wishes the public could directly elect their president, as opposed to using the Electoral College system.

"If the popular vote is what elected (presidents), then, of course, I would vote."

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Morgan said she is more likely to vote in local elections than presidential elections; but not this one.

"Especially when it comes to race, people are like, 'Oh well, our ancestors died for this right' and that is 100 percent correct, and kudos to them," she said. "But I don't think they understood what they were fighting for. I don't think they understood what they were dying for."

Meliciya Harris: No wallet, no vote

Meliciya Harris, a 19-year-old from Kenosha, said she would vote in the midterms — if her wallet hadn't been stolen.

Now Harris said she will need everything replaced, including her ID.

Wisconsin's voter ID law, which was passed in 2011 but went into full effect in 2016, requires voters to bring a valid, government-issued photo ID for their vote to be counted. While voters without ID can submit a provisional ballot on election day, they must provide proof of identification and/or residence by Nov 9.

Harris said she doesn't think she'll be able to replace her ID in time.

"I get that it's very important," she said. "I know it is. It's just that I don't have the time right now. I don't know when I'll be able to go to the DMV."

Harris, who came to Milwaukee to study social work at Alverno College, said she doesn't actually know how to vote — the steps involved.

Harris said she will vote next time around, when she has an ID.

"People say, 'Oh, I'm not going to vote because my vote doesn't matter.' " Harris shook her head. "It does matter."

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Rachel Kappel: 'Maybe … next year'

Rachel Kappel, a 19-year-old nursing student at Alverno, said she's too busy to vote in the midterms.

"I'm just not really interested. You have to research a lot of things and it's a lot of work."

Kappel said it's hard to find time to gather information about candidates and the voting process.

"(People) expect too much of us," she said. "I don't really know about how to vote. They don't tell you how to vote, where to go or what to do."

Kappel acknowledged that people are urging her to vote.

"Our teacher keeps pushing that on us. It kind of makes me think more about voting, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon."

Lacie Perry: Religious conviction

Nineteen-year-old Lacie Perry said questions about voting make her uncomfortable.

"It always makes me feel like the outlier," she said. "It's so awkward every time somebody approaches me and asks, 'Did you vote?' "

The Marquette University student has never cast a ballot and doesn't plan to because of her faith: Jehovah's Witnesses are encouraged to abstain from voting.

"It's a mental thing, with religious faith — it's ingrained in you," Perry said.

Perry said she's feeling an "internal struggle" between respecting her spiritual upbringing and using her vote to change politics.

In 2014, Pew Research estimated Jehovah's Witnesses represent about 1% of Wisconsin's population.

Perry said she hasn't encountered a lot of push-back for not voting.

"That's one of the things that stuck with me (from being raised a Jehovah's Witness), is, you don't get involved in politics. I don't know too many people who aren't religious who are against voting. But me, I feel like I'm in such a gray area. I wonder if, sometime in the next five years, I'll be like '(Expletive) it, I don't care.' And I'll just go to the polls and vote."

Raniya Yazdani: Not enough time

Raniya Yazdani, 20, voted in 2016, but said she won't vote in the midterms.

"I have a lot to do," the Alverno student said.

Yazdani said she's aware of absentee ballots, but didn't take advantage of that option.

"I don't know much about it or the candidates," she said. "There's too many things to think about or consider before making a decision like that."

Yazdani said she doesn't worry about how people react when they find out she didn't vote. But she said she might vote if she had more time on her hands.

"I work 30 hours a week and I'm taking 18 credits. ...I just don't have time," she said.

Brianna Rincon: Personal choice

Brianna Rincon is an elementary education major at Alverno who said she just hasn't become engaged by the campaigns.

"Everybody's always telling me, 'You should vote!' But I'm like, 'I just don't feel like it.' "

Rincon said there's not enough information about the candidates or the process.

"It's like assumed you already know what to do. If it was easier to access all the information I need to vote and the candidates that were to my area, it would be easier."

Rincon said she knows others will give her flak for not voting, but that hasn't changed her position.

"I think people definitely give you a lot of stigma. People are like, 'Oh you didn't vote. It should matter more to you.' And it matters to me, but it's just like, some people's lives just get too caught up to do it."

Rincon said she planned to register once she turned 18, but got busy and eventually forgot.

"I just feel like it's a bit time-consuming — registering and getting all the info," she said. "It's definitely time-consuming."

Rincon said she might vote in the 2020 election, and she also said she wishes the popular vote, not the Electoral College system, was used in presidential elections.

For now, she'll stay on the sidelines.

"I understand it's our 'duty,' but that's a personal choice," Rincon said. "If I don't want to vote, I don't have to."