By: Lauren Burgess
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – In the 2024 presidential election, swing states will play a crucial role in determining the outcome, but every state has an impact including Arkansas.
Historically, Arkansas is a key battleground state that fluctuates in national voting trends. The political landscape is diverse with urban, city-like areas such as Little Rock to rural, small-town areas such as Batesville. One area in particular, Northwest Arkansas, has a diverse political landscape because of the different backgrounds of students at the University of Arkansas, which influences Northwest Arkansas’ political landscape.
Student engagement in voting is shaping the political narrative of the election. A majority of students at the University of Arkansas (U of A) come from out-of-state and are filling out absentee ballots or going home to vote early.
Molly Kotzin, a junior at the U of A, is from Georgia, a swing state, and is a first-time voter. Kotzin said, “I voted in person when I was home for fall break and I knew what to expect going into voting because my parents and siblings have voted before.”
On the contrary, students that are Arkansas natives voted in person and on election day. Senior Director of CNN Newsource and U of A Alum, Beth Carter, said, “I am from Arkansas, so I voted in my home state on voting day after I turned 18.”
The swing states are Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, North Carolina, Philadelphia, and Wisconsin. There are 93 electoral votes combined in all of these states, so it is important for people to vote.
In the 2020 election, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Pennslyvania, and Wisconsin swung Democratic while North Carolina swung Republican.
The U of A offers various resources for students to learn about the voting process, informative sessions to prepare first-time voters to cast their vote, and political registered student organizations (RSO) such as the U of A Young Democrats, Turning Point, and Bridge.
As election day approaches on Tuesday, November 5, students voting in Arkansas can vote early at the Arkansas Alumni Association House, Fayetteville Public Library, and Washington County Courthouse.
For more information, tune in to the University of Arkansas Television (UATV) News Facebook live at 6:30 p.m. on election day.