The Away Team

Tekst: Ida Nord Holmer, Marthe Rosenvinge Ervik

It’s Saturday morning and the last stretch of the elections. Trondheim’s streets swarm with life. Politicians are gathered around the party stalls on Kongens gate, ready to rake in the last deciding votes. Voting brochures, balloons and roses come at you from all directions. They give you apples, buns and all manner of things so that you''ll vote for them.

“Can I have a sweet or are you going to eat them all yourself?”

A middle aged Trønder chuckles into his beard and takes a candy from a bowl, before the discussion about property rights takes off.

Most of the people who come to chat with the politicians at the Right Party's ( Høyre ) stall are middle aged adults. They are interested in issues such as tolls, care for the elderly and property taxes. On the other hand, there are few students this Saturday morning.

“There was a rush of students earlier in the election. First and foremost, they have been concerned with how they can use their voting rights. Most of them vote in their home counties and have already voted in advance,” explains Yngve Brox, from the Right Party.

Are students given a lower priority?

It’s well known that most students do not have a registered address in the city where they study. They often move several times during their time as students and many find it bothersome to change their registered address. In addition, the Loan Service ( Lånekassen ) pays a travel stipend to students studying outside of their hometown. In other words, there are many reasons to not register a change of address. The other side of story is that most students do not have voting rights in a city they inhabit for several years.

A further consequence is that politicians don’t necessarily prioritize student issues. This was very clear at the meeting for the Student Society ( Samfundet ) on Saturday, September 10th. At the meeting, first candidates from the different parties were invited to take part in a political debate about student issues. Weak promises about new student apartments and cheaper public transport illustrate what low priority students have. In addition, one can question why a political meeting was held the Saturday after most students had already voted, and that in their home counties.

Why don’t students vote in Trondheim? What are the consequences of the fact that so many students are not democratically represented in the city where they live?

Less Than a Quarter Vote Here

Data that Under Dusken has received from the Loan Service show that in the 2010-2011 school year, there were 23,400 students at educational institutes in Trondheim which received financial support from the Loan Service. Of these students, 6,304 of them were registered in Trondheim County, about 26%. This means that about 74% of students don’t have voting rights in Trondheim.

Compare this to the 62% of students in Bergen who don’t have voting rights in Bergen County, while the rate of Oslo students without voting rights in Oslo is 59%. In total, there are 30,000 students in Trondheim.

A Sad Result

Professor Anders Todal Jenssen at the Institute for Sociology and Political Science at NTNU shakes his head when Under Dusken presents him with the fresh numbers from the Loan Service. “This is sad, really.”

He believes that the Loan Service could contribute to students’ willingness to change their permanent address. “The fact that they receive a travel stipend if they keep their permanent address in their home county does not exactly encourage them to change address.”

Simply Not Concerned with Students

On Tuesday, September 6th a historical agreement between student politicians and local political parties- except for the Step Forward party ( Fremskrittspartie, FrP), who will seek further progress on student issues after the election- was signed. The parties promised that the city would commence work on several student housing projects, a new sports hall and further development of student health services. Todal Jenssen is simply not impressed with the agreement:

“Of course they’re glad that students live here and use their stipends in the shops, but it stops there. The students’ interests are not taken into account. There aren’t many discussions in the city government that concern student welfare. When the city government discusses students at all, it’s usually about broken bottles and noise in the streets.”

No Excuse

Student council leader, Trude Elise Drønnesund at Dronning Mauds Minne College believe that many of the students don’t really realize what they’re going to when they move Trondheim. “You’re maybe moving for the first time, you usually live with flat mates and a lot of people think it’s a lot of hassle to change your address, but that’s not a good enough excuse.”

Nils Magne Killingberg, leader in the Student Parliament at the College of South-Trøndelag ( Høyskolen i Sør-Trøndelag, HiST) believes that students’ democratic representation is well enough attended to in other ways than direct elections. “Clearly, there are not very many people who consider voting here. Luckily we have the Trondheim Student Council ( Trondheim Studentråd ), where students have good opportunities to influence Trondheim politics by talking to local politicians.

Ola Magnussen Rydje, leader in the Welfare Assembly believes that it is part of the responsibility of student politics to encourage people to vote in the city.

“We have most likely not done enough to accomplish this. It’s problematic that so many students neglect to use their voting rights here in Trondheim. If students did that, politicians would be forced to listen to us formally.”

A Shame that We Have No Influence

Back in the swarm of people and the smell of freshly made waffles, two people stand with their hands full of roses and voting brochures. Sociology students, Marie Holm Slettebak from Sandefjord and Stian Thuen from Mandal have spent the morning wandering around the stalls to get an impression of what the different parties represent.

“We’ve spoken a little with the different politicians, but not about student oriented issues. In fact, I discussed abortion with KrF [the Christian party], and I introduced the topic myself.”

Both have the impression that politicians are less concerned with students as a voting bloc. “Of course it varies from party to party, but generally I feel that most are concerned with care of the elderly and schools. There are few parties that clearly front student issues,” says Lie.

They have voted in their home counties like so many other Trondheim students, precisely because their addresses are not registered in Trondheim.

“It’s a shame that we don’t have any influence over politics where we live. At the same time I think that many students don’t report that they have moved because of practical reasons. Besides, I’ve gotten the impression from the Loan Service that it isn’t necessary to change your registered address,” says Lie.

“On the other hand, it would be a shame if all the students had voting rights in the city where they studied. You would maybe risk that smaller counties lose a lot of their voters,” says Slettebak.

Students Not Attractive?

In the stall for the Right party, Yngve Brox is busy handing out candy and buns while talking to the people who come to the stall. He has just discussed tolls with an elderly lady when Under Dusken grabs a hold of him and presents the data from the Loan Service.

“Only a fourth of students in Trondheim vote here. Does this makes students a less attractive voting demographic?”

“In general, I believe that all of the parties are concerned with Trondheim’s students. There are critically important regarding the development of the city. On the other hand, it’s also important for us that students vote for the Right party in their home counties,” he says, pragmatically.

Students Not Thought of as Voters

First candidate Geirmund Lykke from KrF in Trondheim believes that students are important for the city’s reputation and the recruitment of future students. The enthusiasm stops there.

“We have quite a few students engaged in KrF Youth who give us input regarding our politics. The students also mean important commerce for Trondheim. In a few years, they return to the cities they came from and give Trondheim a reputation. In this case, it’s important that we have healthy student politics so that city is seen in a positive light. I don’t think of the students as a voting bloc, but as a part of Trondheim’s education enterprise,” says Lykke.

Nearly as many Students as Labor Party Supporters

Second candidate Geir Wåge in Trondheim’s Labor Party ( Arbeiderpartiet , Ap) thinks that the county currently has a good cooperation with student politicians through the Student Council.

“Every single student is a potential future job holder in the city, and therefore it’s important that we make the city attractive for students. But of course, I wish that more of them changed their registered addresses. In that case, they would have more direct influence and political impact. As per today there are almost as many students as there are labor supporters in the city,” says Wåge.

The Big, Ugly Consequence

In other words, students don’t vote in Trondheim for many reasons. The idea that is a hassle and that it isn’t necessary, and that it doesn’t seem necessary seem to be the deciding factors for many. Several politicians also say that when it comes down to it, students are not particularly attractive as voters. The big question is the consequence of so many students who neglect to vote in the city but are effected by local politics.

Democratic Dilemma

The fact that large groups are not democratically represented is something that researchers see in many parts of society, Todal Jenssen explains.

“It comes down to the fact that most people don’t live where they are registered. Even if you have a cabin in another county and pay property tax and public levies doesn’t mean that you have two votes, one in your home county and one in the county where you have your cabin. People have to choose, and so do the students. I wouldn’t say it’s a problem for democracy, but that’s it’s a democratic dilemma.”

Todal Jenssen believes he would see several changes in politics if students had voting rights in Trondheim, among other things a better housing debate. “It’s a very sensitive issue here in Trondheim because we have so little housing. Politicians would probably take this issue more seriously.”

According to the professor, politics would become more ideological and less pragmatic, since students are usually most interested in national politics than local politics. He believes that national politics would be more integrated into local politics as a consequence of the fact that politicians have to choose issues that appeal to voters.

“Most students are in a life phase without big responsibilities. Few have children, they don’t own a house, and they don’t have elderly parents that need care. Naturally enough, they don’t care about things like preschools, care for the elderly and property taxes, which are the most important local political issues,” says Todal Jenssen.

Leader for the Student Parliament, Per Martin Sandrøen, believes that politicians need to think about who gives them votes. “Politicians are, of course, cynical, something that their jobs force them to be. Without enough votes, politicians are without a job or any influence,” he says.

“The best would be if more students voted here. Then students would be able to influence a lot more. Students make up 30,000 of the city’s 170,000 inhabitants. If you take away the amount of people under 18 and those who don’t have voting rights, the fraction is enormous. Creative, engaged and engaging students could even make up their own student party and accomplish quite a bit.”