2018 Campus Cup features higher stakes

Every election season, students from all around Utah universities reach across the political aisle to work together for a mutual cause–school pride. During this year’s Campus Cup, however, Utah State University has a little more at stake.

The Campus Cup pits ten Utah universities against each other every two years to encourage  students to register and vote come election day. Students can earn points for their school by voting and registering to vote, as well as participating in Expedition Vote, a competitive scavenger hunt new to the cup this year.

The cup, which is run through the Lieutenant Governor’s office, adds a competitive element to civic engagement with the hopes of increasing youth voter turnout. In the past, however, winning the competition hasn’t necessarily translated to higher voter turnout.  

A win this year would mean three in a row for Utah State, who won the 2014 and 2016 competitions with 910 and 1,653 voter registrations, respectively, after losing the inaugural 2012 Cup to Salt Lake Community College. The pressure is on this year for USU to secure its third victory in as many competitions in the midst of a heated midterm election year.

Attention college students (YOUTHS): you must watch this! The Campus Cup is back, and it’s bigger and badder than ever. I look forward to seeing you…with this cup.😂 https://t.co/VSyIssdsMM

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) September 10, 2018

Students can register to vote online through a URL unique to their university (USU students can register here), or register at registration drives around campus in order to earn points.

The Government Relations Council for USU officially began voter registration season at an event on Sept. 25–National Voter Registration Day–where volunteers gathered at the Taggart Student Center patio, offering donuts and live music to entice students to register to vote. The event was a collaboration between the GRC, Center for Community Engagement and Housing & Residence Life.

“I thought it went very well,” said Sam Jackson, the student advocate vice president. “We got about 240 people registered [during the event], which is very good. My goal for [the event] was 150, so we kind of blew that out of the water.”

In addition to the Sept. 25 registration drive, the GRC has planned events all throughout October leading up to election day. Upcoming events include an election night watch party and a  “meet the candidates” night on Oct. 15, where students will have the opportunity to listen to the candidates for Utah’s 1st Congressional District, including Rob Bishop, Lee Castillo, and Eric Eliason, as well as speakers on various propositions up for votes this November.

Various on-campus organizations will also be putting up booths at each of the university’s campuses to help students register in an effort to reach all demographics on campus.

New to the cup this year is the Expedition Vote, a Cotopaxi Questival-like scavenger hunt in which students compete in teams of two to six players to score points through various activities. Details on the competition are scarce—the Lieutenant Governor’s office won’t be releasing a full list of activities until shortly before the event begins, but potential objectives range from things like registering a student from another campus, to service projects, to posting your favorite fry sauce recipe online. USU’s Expedition Vote is set for Oct. 27 and lasts 24 hours.

“I think the Expedition Vote really brings an element of service to the challenge,” said Derek Brenchley, deputy director of elections at the Lt. Governor’s office. “It helps people get out and get more involved in their communities—makes it more meaningful.”

After registering, students can earn points by voting and posting their “I Voted” sticker or a ballot selfie along with the hashtag #usuvotes on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram until Nov. 6.

The winning college gets bragging rights, a visit from Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, and an official trophy – which has rested in the TSC for the last four years. The cup has been returned to the Lieutenant Governor’s office for the duration of the competition, but the GRC and other student organizations, who run the competition for the university, are determined to see it return to USU.

“I’m a very competitive person,” Jackson said.

Beyond winning the trophy, though, efforts to encourage voting face an uphill challenge. Despite universities’ efforts, and thousands of students registered during past competitions, the Campus Cup hasn’t affected much in the way of a cultural sea change when it comes to actual voting.

According to Pew Research, voter turnout nationally among millennials is the lowest of any age demographic, discounting the post-millennial generation for whom 2018 is the first midterm election. Furthermore, according to the Cache County Clerk’s office, voter turnout for all demographics in 2014 dropped to the lowest percentage since 1960.

The Lt. Governor’s office hopes to counteract midterms apathy by injecting voting with the spirit of college rivalry, but the effect has been unclear.

Interest in the midterm elections has reached record levels at a national level, but it’s unlikely that enthusiasm will extend to Utah–which both in perception and practice remains a heavily one-party state. The Republican Party’s ubiquitous power at most levels of government could have an especially dampening effect among millennials and post-millennials, who lean Democrat at higher rates than older voting cohorts.

“It’s hard to say with Utah because it’s such an uncompetitive state politically, and state legislatures have gerrymandered Utah into oblivion so it makes it even more uncompetitive,” Jackson said.

Jackson also pointed to mail-in ballots as one of the major roadblocks facing potential college voters.

“Generally speaking across the country, in districts that have mail-in ballots, turnout is generally higher,” he said. “However, with students, because they move around so much and their addresses change, it’s difficult for them to continue to vote because they’re always in a state of transition.”

Jackson did acknowledge one issue that might galvanize college students to head to the polls this November.

“I know Prop. 2 [medical marijuana legislation] is a big issue right now for a lot of people,” he said. “Hopefully that helps out with the turnout.”

The last day to register to vote online is Oct. 30. The competition ends on Nov. 6.