IvyLee Rosario – News Writer –
When it comes to voting, college students play a bigger part in the election process than most people realize.
According to CIRCLE (The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement), “In the 2008 election, 84% of those youth 18-29 who were registered to vote actually cast a ballot.”
Whether a student consider themselves a Democrat or Republican, the number of college students that are voting is rising each year. This November 6 will mark the 45th presidential election, in which the current President, Barack Obama will square off against Republican Mitt Romney.
The next presidential debate will discuss domestic policy and will air on October 3, live on major news channels.
“We plan on having lots of supporting events for the inauguration and election. We think it is really important for students to get involved with their government,” said Eric McGuckin, 21, senior elementary education major and president of Student Government Association.
“Even if students don’t show interest now, they have to realize that this is something they can take part in to help create a better future for all of us.”
At Southern students can share their support for politics by joining a political party organization, either the College Democrats or College Republicans.
Regardless of a student’s political party, polls show that college students have been voting more at each election, and the numbers continue to increase.
“College students are two times more likely to vote than other young adults who are not enrolled in higher education,” according to the article, Studies Show More College Students Voting by CBS News.
Although the economy will shape the future that college students are preparing themselves for, there are still students who do not see the importance of voting or the idea of politics in general.
“I really don’t care about politics at all. I don’t watch any of the elections, I just hear about who won the next day. I know most people say one vote can change everything but I just have no interest in it and I don’t see how my vote is going to sway anything that has so many participants like an election,” said Olivia Kale, 20, an elementary education major. “Personally I think the government creates more problems than it does solve them so why would I want to participate in something like that?”
With the debate over whether college students actually use their right to cast political votes or not still stirring, the question as to what provokes young people to take interest in the government from the start continues to interest political-minded professionals.
Christopher Kukk, a professor of Political Science at Western Connecticut State University said that he thinks more college students should take part in political matters.
“Ultimately we know that politics will be a controversial topic that will always be around. College students should remember that this is their future and even if they see no purpose of knowing about who wants to run the country they live in or even town officials from wherever they are from,” said Kukk.
“They still will be forever surrounded by news about it and the changes that are made by these politicians could have some changes to their own future.
As this year’s election draws closer, the media and public debates over hot button topics and longstanding issues will likely entice college students and prospective voters to react and express their opinions.
