RADFORD (WSLS)-- The primary election in Virginia is less than a week away. Tuesday, March 1, Virginians get the chance to weigh-in on the candidate they'd like to see win their party's nomination for president.
With several big colleges and universities in southwest Virginia, the student vote could play a big role.
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Historically, college aged students and young adults have had a huge influence on the outcome of races, when they actually care about the candidates. In 2012, young voters were one of the key voting blocks that reelected President Barack Obama. He won the 18-to-29-year-old vote over Mitt Romney by more than five million voters.
The problem comes when the young people feel like the candidates are not speaking to their specific interests and wants, and they tend to lose interest altogether.
Daniel Willingham, a senior at Radford University, says he's one of the only students he knows that will be voting in the primary election.
"I'm one of the few," says Willingham. "This is a recent thing, caring about the political elections. But a lot of my friends don't even know who the president of our university is. So I'm one of the few of my classmates."
Associate professor in the School of Communication at Radford, Scott Dunn, says it's not hard for students to get interested, they just have to try.
"A lot of young people make a very rational observation, saying, 'I don't know a lot about the election so I shouldn't go vote. I should leave it to people who know more,'" says Dunn. "I would say, 'It's really not that hard.' There's plenty of information out there. I know it's a lot and can be a little overwhelming, but do a little homework. It doesn't take that much."
Dunn says many college students don't feel like the candidates care about them. Something that could be leading to the consistent decrease in college aged voters. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that voters 18-to-24 have been voting at lower rates than all other age groups in presidential elections since 1962.
"It's sort of a vicious circle," says Dunn. "The candidates don't speak to young people because they don't vote, and the young people don't vote because the candidates aren't speaking to them."
Many college towns have made it easier than ever for students to vote. Virginia Tech and Liberty University have created on-campus voting districts, so students never have to leave campus to cast their votes on Tuesday. The town of Radford is a little smaller, so to prevent other citizens from having to come on campus, students will still have to leave campus to vote.