"Rise Up and Vote:" An Exploration of Interview-Based Assessment of Student Views on Voting and Student-Centered Experiential Learning

In the Fall of 2024, an upper-division campaigns and elections class at the University of Arkansas devoted two weeks to reading about and discussing the myriad barriers college students face when attempting to vote, as well as the cognitive and non-cognitive skills required for voting. During this same time, the authors of this paper--two students from that class and their professor--collaborated on a voter registration and information event with the university’s residential life office. In the process, the students collected 27 peer interviews on the topics related to voting and the challenges college students face when attempting to vote. The following provides a preliminary analysis of those interviews. In addition to providing critical insights into the thought processes of these students regarding civic engagement, this study invites faculty to consider a student-centered perspective for learning beyond the classroom.