MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Thursday, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson met with NMU students and members, the community and local government officials to discuss strategies to increase youth voter turnout.

“We found in Michigan that a million eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 29 don’t even vote in presidential elections,” Benson said. “That’s why we’re here in Marquette today to talk to the young people here about how we can better reach them, to meet them where they are, and to make sure they know the full range of opportunities they have to participate in this year’s election.”

Issues discussed included educating the community about early voting, training poll workers, providing better transportation to polling places and encouraging people to vote in local elections. Anne McIlhagga, a student at NMU and president of the Northern Voters Club, a student organization, said this is the most important part. “Smaller local elections are the things that directly impact what you care about,” she said. “If a tax increase is voted by 50 votes or a commissioner is voted by 70 votes, your vote counts in that election.”

McIlhagga also said one of the biggest problems is that young adults don’t know much about the voting process. “There’s not a lot of knowledge about nonpartisan elections, about local elections, about where to be registered to vote and how to vote,” she said. “There’s just a big gap in understanding what voting really is and how to participate.”

Both students and government officials said they are ready for what comes next. “I look forward to working with local officials here at the university and in the city as well to develop additional programs over the next 80 days to encourage citizens to vote,” Benson said.

“We need to have these conversations,” McIlhagga said. “I’m optimistic that this was a start to having these conversations directly with young people about what they need to help them and their peers be able to vote.”

Click here to view WZMQ’s full exclusive interview with Secretary Benson.