Neil Lewis, Jr.

Assistant Professor of Communication

“Nobel Laureate Richard Thaler summarizes one of the key insights from across the behavioral sciences: ‘If you want people to do something, make it easy.’ The opposite is also true, though: if you don't want people to do something, put up as many barriers as you can find to make it as difficult as possible.

“What we are seeing with these student ID restriction laws is a weaponization of the science of human behavior; political actors who do not want young people to have their voices heard at the ballot box are doing all they can to keep young people from participating in the democratic process.

“The goal is to silence a voting bloc those political actors fear might vote en masse to elect candidates those actors would rather not see in power. These student ID laws are a variation on other laws that have been used to disenfranchise other groups throughout U.S. history. 

“For the students, I think it is important to remember that there is still some time to plan and organize around these issues. If you want to participate in the upcoming election, check now what will be required to vote in your particular municipality and start working on getting those documents if you do not have them already. Be sure to also make concrete election day plans, and put reminders in your calendar now of what you will need to bring on election day. 

“For institutions that still believe in democracy and want students to participate in it, consider setting up information sessions or other events that inform students about what they will need to vote (and encourage instructors to consider finding ways to make time on election day for students to go out and vote).”