Students have no excuse for
not voting
Over the past four days the
United States has been on an election roller coaster, and the Purdue
community has been through its own share of twists and turns.
From students arriving at
the polls only to find they weren't registered to the unthinkably low
student turnout of voters, the Purdue community can claim to have one
of the country's most disorganized and apathetic attitudes toward voting.
Better sooner than later
There's no reason for people
not to be registered long before Election Day. If you have any remote
interest in voting, then you should have your registration form turned
in long before the registration deadline.
Here's the deal: a presidential
election in the United States occurs every four years. Take the current
year and divide by four, if there's no remainder, then there's going
to be a presidential election. If you have trouble grasping this concept,
you probably don't belong in college.
There's always a chance that
something could go wrong with your registration form. Maybe you didn't
fill out the form correctly or your form could have been misplaced.
Either way, if you wait until the last minute to register then by the
time you realize you are not registered, it may be too late
If students are seriously
interested in utilizing democracy, they should register long in advance
of the deadline.
If you do one thing …
If you act like a responsible
citizen only once every four years, vote. As exemplified by the situation
in Florida, even in an election as far reaching as the presidential,
a few votes here and there can make a difference.
Voter turnout in Tippecanoe
County was embarrassingly low. Of the people who were registered to
vote in Tippecanoe County, only 55 percent were able to find time in
their busy schedule to vote.
How is it that nearly half
of the people in this county can't find 30 minutes a year to give to
their country?
Kids today
In Wabash Township, the six
precincts with the lowest voter turnout were in areas with large student
populations. Part of this low voter turnout may be caused by students
who have left the area but are still registered. The primary reason
for this low turnout comes from laziness in this demographic. He will
be our president, too. Now is the time to grasp your federal government.
Why are the candidates only
talking about Medicare and Social Security? Because the people who turn
out at the polls are the age group that cares about these issues.
If we want the government
to pay attention to us and issues we think are important — from
financial aid to the environment to abortion to legalization (or not)
of marijuana to discrimination — we need to show up at the polls
on Election Day.
Making amends
So with a scant four years
before the next presidential election, the students who decided not
to vote have time to think about what they haven't done and change their
ways.
Editorial Board: Sarah
Loehr, Nick Giordano, Adrienne Kleman, Olivia Conroy, Nathan Cross.
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