The majority of people who voted at student precincts in East Lansing elected to keep Democrats in power on both the state and federal levels.
A large percentage of the 4,581 people who cast ballots on or near campus Tuesday voted for Gov. Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, state Sen. Gretchen Whitmer and state Rep. Mark Meadows.
Gubernatorial hopeful Dick DeVos and U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers failed to carry a majority vote in any of the student precincts.
"We had more absentee ballots and more turnout at the precincts than we had in 2002," East Lansing City Clerk Sharon Reid said of the last midterm election, adding that 18- to 25-year-olds seem to be taking a greater interest in politics.
"It's a thrilling thing to see they are becoming engaged," she said.
About 13,500 people voted in the midterm election in East Lansing. That is less than the number of people who voted in 2004, with 18,376 people casting ballots, but up from those who voted in the 2002 midterm election at 10,693 people.
The precincts most used by students are located at Brody and Owen halls and All Saints Episcopal Church, The Peoples Church and Edgewood United Church.
Elisa Gillies, a premedical freshman, said she voted because the ballot proposals would impact her directly, if enacted.
"I did a lot of research on the issues," she said. "This is my first time voting."
Pleased that he carried largely student precincts, Meadows said a combination of factors gave him an edge over John Knowles, his Republican challenger for the 69th District seat in the state House of Representatives.
"Michigan State University is a land-grant university, and we try to provide an educational opportunity for families that are not necessarily wealthy, and those tend to be Democratic families," Meadows said. "That's a simplistic way of looking at it.
"I'm relatively well-known to students in town. Even though we've had some issues over the last few years, I don't think they view me negatively."
A newcomer to elections, Knowles said he was surprised many student voters cast ballots in favor of the Democratic party.
"It's true what they say, that students that vote at their college tend to vote Democrat," he said. "I wasn't convinced of that before, and in fact, I have been proven wrong."
When one party is in power for a longer period of time, voters feel a need for change, which they have shown across the state and country, Knowles said.
Whitmer, who was re-elected to her seat in the state Senate, said she won by appealing to voters in the MSU community.
"In the last six years, I have made it a priority that students and everyone at Michigan State is one of my very first considerations," she said. "It was a big year and a big election for Democrats. The state House changed control last night, and I think it speaks to the mood of the electorate."
Election Day voting went well for most poll-watchers, but at least one precinct required additional counting.
Reid said poll workers at Precinct 4, which is located at Capital City Vineyard Church, 1635 Coolidge Road, didn't tally the votes correctly.
Reid said she had to review ballots Wednesday to verify vote totals because workers had trouble with paperwork after the 8 p.m. voting deadline.
But overall "the voting went beautifully," she said.
Staff writer Ashley A. Smith contributed to this report. Kris Turner can be reached at turne112@ msu.edu.
