Opinion on student apathy and voting

By Emma Henson
It was revealed, in a recent random survey, that seven out of 50 college students questioned are registered to vote. This fact puzzles older Americans. Sixty-nine-year old tax accountant Edward Ryder from Rochester Hills said in an e-mail, “With college kids, you would hope that they have enough interest to find some time to keep informed via publications, newspapers and television.

After all, if you're interested in college, you should be interested in knowing what is going on in the country politically, so that you have a basis for determining whether it will impact you, your family, your community and your livelihood. I don't think that their ‘ignorance’ affects the country now, particularly if they don't care to keep current on the candidates and issues.It could, however, affect the country later unless they ‘see the light’ and start keeping informed and vote as they mature and start working for a living. Once they start working and see how much they are paying in taxes and how their taxes are being spent by the federal, state and local governments, hopefully, it will wake them up to start keeping informed so that they can make considered decisions as voters.”

When questioned, a few Olivet College students provided both positive and negative feed-back on their views of voting as students. “As a college student I feel that it is almost impossible to find time to even understand politics. It is such a complicated field to try and grasp. Unless, of course, I were to sit down and dedicate so much of my time to understanding. And let’s face it, as a college kid I sometimes have a hard time finding time to relax and just be…stress free. So why would I waste a vote and accidentally vote on something that I don’t even believe or agree with, but just because I had the “right” to vote, I did. Would that be justice?”, sophomore Joseph McAllister wrote.

College students are busy with homework and every day life. After all, Assistant Professor Joanne Williams once said “Being a college student is a full-time job”. But giving up the inalienable right as an American citizen seems dim-witted. We are all equal as Americans with the right to have our voice heard. Why are so many students shielding their ears and silencing their thoughts?
“As a college kid, of course I find it a bit hard to keep up with politics but honestly if you turn on CNN it’s not too difficult. I’ve been registered since I was able to and I try and keep up with everything. I’m not going to lie, I find it a bit confusing at times, and still, I feel I have a duty and a right. Why would I ignore it? I feel that would give others perfect leeway of titling you “an ignorant American,’” junior Samantha Miller wrote. If college students continue to ignore the political world that is undoubtedly thriving and volatile, what will happen to the United States? Will we still be “united” in the future? The answer lies with the next generation.