Will You Be Participating in the Next Election?

By: Stephen Cunha, Matt Carlyle and Kayla Flynn
Posted In: Opinion

Students and professors at Salve Regina University predict that student

turnout at midterm elections will not be as high as during presidential

elections.

“College students are not interested in local politics,” said Dr. Clark

Merrill, a political science professor.

According to “The Whitworthian”a student newspaper at Whitworth College, political activism is on the rise among 18-24yr olds. The youth turnout rate nationwide reached 47 percent in the 2004 elections. The highest voting among young people occurs in states with Election Day registration.

The student paper reported that about 80 percent of students polled said they were planning to vote in midterm elections.

Merrill noted that he was surprised at how high that number was.

Freshman, Josh Vanjani doesn”t agree. Vanjani, an English Communications major from Maine, said he thought the numbers are too high and the majority would not turnout for midterms.

“The students polled were just being socially acceptable,” Vanjani said with a

smirk.

Senior Marketing major Matt Lavalle shares the same view as Vanjani. Lavalle

explained how it was a tricky situation.

According to Lavalle, most college students would not vote in midterm elections because

it is too much work. “Out of the 80 polled at Whitworth probably only 40 will actually vote in midterms,” Lavalle said.

It is difficult for most college students to get home because they do not have

the means and those who are claiming to mail in absentee ballots probably will

not, due to all the work they have to put in. Calling their town hall to get

the ballot, having to fill it out, and then mail it back. Most students are

just not that dedicated to the cause, Lavalle said.

Other Salve students and professors are confident that 20-something voters will turn out in November.

“The Vote or Die campaign on MTV had a large influence on our entire generation,” said Caitlin Nattini, student at Salve Regina University. “Even the groups that are unable to vote were influenced too.”

Nattini like many others her age said that voting registration must be easier in order to get more people out to vote. If voters have to go through a whole process before voting, fewer people are likely to participate.

“In the past teens didn”t think it was their problem or priority, now MTV and VH1 has really helped to promote it,” stated Amy Saragamo, a 19-year-old student.

Efforts made by both the Vote or Die campaign and popular celebrity enthusiasm has helped jumpstart the trend to bring voting back, Saragamo said. Saragamo also stated that maybe not just a single vote can make a difference but not doing anything at all is worse.

SGA Senator Diana Malachowski of Lincoln, RI also believes that voting is important but questions whether her vote counts on a large scale.

“In a little state with no electoral votes I feel it doesn’t matte,” she stated.

Malachowski feels strongly about numerous issues such as abortion, the war on terrorism, and privacy laws but feels her opinions are mostly heard only at the state and local levels.

Gerry Perrino an Art professor sees that change in the students over that last few years and sees that they are more engaged with today’s issues.

Perrino remembers his generation voting to end the Vietnam War and stated, “If you don’t vote you have no room to complain.”

Many people are too caught up in their lives to involve themselves with voting. It is a “lousy attitude” to do nothing, when your vote counts.