Purdue proposes campus voting locations after backlash

After facing intense criticism for Purdue’s inability to hold voting locations on campus for the upcoming election, Purdue has announced a commitment to work with the Board of Elections to establish an on-campus polling site.
Andrea Williams, a member of the League of Women Voters, told the Exponent last week that there would be no voting locations on campus and called the lack of transparency from the university, “voter suppression and intimidation.”
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The Exponent asked Purdue why there would be no voting locations on campus and spokesperson Trevor Peters said, “Purdue University does not determine voting locations.”
But Mike Smith, a member of the Board of Elections for over 40 years, said he thought the university’s response lacked important context.
“That’s true, (Purdue) does not pick the locations," he said. "But we requested a location and were not given a workable option.”
Eight years ago, dozens of students lined up to vote in the Purdue Memorial Union.
Exponent File Photo
The Exponent then asked Purdue to confirm whether it was unable to meet the requirements to hold a voting location. Despite multiple attempts to reach out to the university, it failed to provide further comment.
“It is unconscionable on the part of @LifeAtPurdue to not host a voting site,” said Purdue political science professor Rosalee Clawson in a comment on the Exponent’s X account’s original post. “Lots of talk about civic literacy for students but no action when it matters.”
Days later, the Indiana Democratic Party called on Purdue to "make voting available" on campus, according to a press release.
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“Purdue students should be able to vote on campus like they have done for years," said Indiana Democratic Party Chair Mike Schmuhl in the press release.
Senate Democratic candidate Valerie McCray said all campuses should have voting locations.
“It's about voter suppression,” she said. “The young folks brought in Obama in 2008 and we've had problems with voting locations since that. We have to ignite the young folks, the college folks, enough to push back against that, because it's important enough.
“This is what you should be rallying about ... This is worth fighting for.”
Valerie McCray, the democratic candidate to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate, talks about how her past experience as a clinical psychologist motivated her to run for office.
Daniel Pike | Photo and Video Editor
This sentiment was also echoed by former Purdue student and state representative, Chris Campbell.
“I am outraged that there is not a voting location on campus,” Campbell said. “I was a student in the 80s and early 90s, and I voted on campus. I remember voting. I've never known a time when there was not a voting location on campus.”
She said the state has been passing legislation making it more difficult to vote, removing poll locations in more densely populated areas to limit access and creating longer lines at the polls.
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“6% of the votes from Tippecanoe County have come from the university polling location. That's enough to sway an election,” she said. “I'm extremely concerned that we are disenfranchising potentially thousands of students.”
“My message to Purdue is, protect your constitutional right. Without it, you lose all of your other rights that are (sic) in the Constitution.”
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick came to Purdue for a town hall Monday and told the Purdue Exponent the university needs to install a voting location.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick discusses her policy agenda before her town hall at the West Lafayette Public Library.
Madeline Misterka | Staff Photographer/
“Everybody that I've talked to is first of all shocked that there is none here and kind of appalled by it,” she said. “There absolutely should be access here. When we say we're not qualified to do it, I think that bears a lot of question.
“It's about preserving democracy. We're not telling people who to vote for. We're just saying everyone should have easy access to vote.”
After mounting pressure from political figures and the community, Purdue is now working to have voting locations on-campus, Peters said in an email to the Exponent Tuesday.
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"Purdue is working with the Board to further supplement this list of choices by making various Purdue sites, including the Armory and Recreational Sports Center, available for further consideration by the Board," he said.
The university also said it "pledges any and all resources to identify appropriate voting sites."
Voters waited in a long line to vote in the Purdue Memorial Union on Oct. 8, 2016.
Exponent File Photo
Purdue proposed the CoRec as a "viable" early voting location on Wednesday, according to a joint statement with the Board of Elections published on the university's website.
"The Tippecanoe County Board of Elections and Purdue University have proposed a viable on-campus location — the Córdova Recreational Sports Center — as an early voting center on Oct. 24 to provide further access, in addition to the previously announced locations in walking proximity of the West Lafayette campus," the statement reads.
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The Election Board will meet at its public session on Sept. 27 to vote on the proposal.
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