The 2024 election was held on Tuesday, Nov. 5 with a significant turnout from the St. Olaf community. According to Student Election Ambassador Elijah Sonntag ’25, over half of the student body pledged to vote in the election, with about 400 more students pledging compared to the 2020 presidential election.
The Lion’s Pause was utilized as a polling place, as it has been for previous elections. Having a polling location in Buntrock Commons and voting in Minnesota are some of the “built-in advantages” Oles have to be civically engaged, according to Director of the Institute for Freedom and Community Christopher Chapp.
“Voting is secure and safe in Minnesota, and it’s also really easy,” Chapp said.
Students showed up in different ways to get their peers to vote. Student Election Ambassadors — students who are nonpartisan peer resources for questions regarding the election — worked together to get the campus community to pledge to vote and to make plans for election day. The ambassadors communicated with students through tabling events and email outreach.
“It’s about using [our] personal networks to get the word out so we reach every nook and cranny of campus,” said Election Ambassador Grace Moeller ’26. “Our goal is to help students get engaged with their political voices and know the options they have available to them.”
Other campus groups also spread the word to vote. For example, the St. Olaf Leftists hosted educational tablings, alongside door-knocking with local candidate Kristi Pursell and creating a progressive voting guide.
“When we were knocking on doors, we got so many people registered,” said Leftists Co-Organizer Tammara Lawhead ’26. “It was really fulfilling to make people aware of how fast and easy it is [to register].”
By showing up for the 2024 election, Oles are furthering St. Olaf’s historical commitment to civic engagement. Of the more than 500 colleges and universities participating in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, St. Olaf had the highest student voting rate in 2020 and 2022.
Many Oles feel passionately about their peers using their right to vote.
“Voting tells a story,” Sonntag said. “This is information that politicians use to make decisions… it changes how they interact with policy because they want to stay in office.”
“There are lots of ways to create change in our country, but voting is one of the best and most effective ways to do that,” Lawhead said. “It’s important to elect someone who will protect your rights.”
