Final answer:
Presidential and congressional candidates need to relate to college students and address their specific issues to encourage participation in elections. GOTV efforts and practical considerations regarding voter registration location for students also play significant roles in promoting student turnout.
Step-by-step explanation:
Encouraging student participation in forthcoming elections involves a multifaceted approach that speaks to their unique interests and concerns. A presidential or congressional candidate must demonstrate qualities such as relatability, a clear understanding of issues relevant to college students, and a commitment to policies that directly impact their lives in order to get them excited and voting.
To increase student voter turnout, proposals such as all-mail voting, elections held on weekends, and automatic voter registration are often suggested. However, challenges persist, such as the lower participation rates of students in voting and political groups compared to other age cohorts, often due to the transitory nature of their residency and a tendency towards lesser engagement with the political process.
Getting Out The Vote (GOTV) strategies, like offering free pizza, social media campaigns, and providing transportation, are essential in motivating student participation. Additionally, the dilemma of where students should register to vote, whether in their college area or back home, is influenced by factors including their feeling of community connection, the impact they want to make, and the practicality of voting logistics.
Providing multiple clearly differentiated candidates helps create an environment where students feel their vote makes a real difference and encourages them to participate in the democratic process.