In the March 2026 Student Government election, 12% of the Eastern Michigan University student body voted, the highest percentage turnout on record since 2014. 1,350 ballots were cast — the highest on record since 2016, despite enrollment dropping by over 8,500 in that time, according to data on the university's enrollment dashboard.
Election Commissioner Max Butler was not available for an interview but said over email that he was pleased to see the turnout levels in this year's election.
"It’s an important right students have as it’s how we give students a voice on campus," said Butler, who is also the sitting director of internal affairs for Student Government.
Students interviewed by The Echo in a previous article cited both a lack of awareness and a lack of interest as reasons they had not participated in prior elections.
Yasrib Farook and Mirna Shehab, the runners-up in the election, posted a campaign video Feb. 23, 2026, highlighting the low turnout of recent elections and asking students to vote this year.
"Every year, we all receive an email saying 'Student Government elections,' but most students ignore it," Shehab said in the video. "Not because they don't care, but because they think it doesn't matter, and honestly, I used to think the same way."
Nina Freeman, the president-elect, attributed the higher turnout to an increase in coverage by The Echo during an email exchange March 31.
The last recorded time the percentage turnout broke 10% at EMU was in 2016. In comparison, 47% of voters ages 18 to 29 voted in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, according to a report by Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE.
