Staff Editorial
With only 47 days remaining until Nov. 2, time is running short for Pepperdine students to make sure they will be eligible to vote on Election Day.
We’ve all heard that it is important to get out and cast our ballots. But there are innumerable excuses as to why people don’t bother to vote: I don’t know how to register; I don’t have time; I can’t make it to the polling place on Election Day; I don’t know where my polling place is; one vote can’t make a difference.
It is true that college students are busy, and perhaps many students do not feel as though they can connect to the candidates or issues. After all, most of us don’t have mortgages, we don’t see the immediate effects of interest rates or the economy, and, at the end of the day, what do men in blue suits and red ties really have in common with 18 to 22-year-olds?
On the surface, maybe not a lot. But the fact of the matter is, from among these candidates will emerge the new leader of our nation, and while we students may not have mortgages to worry about, we should (and indeed, many of us do) care very deeply about other, related issues such as affordable housing and whether we will be able to find jobs when we graduate.
The issues do affect us all, and participating in the political process is the first step each of us can take toward making our voices heard. Even for those of us whose only interest in politics lies in the latest plot twists on “The West Wing,” it is important to flex our political power and vote.
Of course, there has been much debate about which is better: an uninformed vote, or no vote at all. Neither is preferable, and we decline to choose a favorite between these two lacking options. But what is often missing from this debate is acknowledgement that there is a third option: informed voting.
Luckily, in today’s world of the Internet and information on demand, getting informed is not entirely difficult.
One of the most often talked about sources of voter information, Rock the Vote, uses celebrities to reach out to students and young people about the importance of political participation. On its Web site, www.rockthevote.com, visitors from any state in the nation can register to vote and find ample information about the voting process and students’ voting rights. There is even a link on PepXpress that will take students directly to a page on the Rock the Vote Web site where they can register to vote online.
According to Rock the Vote, students do have the right to register to vote in the county where they attend school. Though a student cannot register using a campus mailbox number as a permanent address, he or she can sign an affidavit declaring a dorm room as his or her permanent residence.
If students wish to remain registered in their home counties, they may request absentee ballots from their home election offices. California voters can go to http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/elections_m.htm to request absentee ballots; students registered in other states can visit http://www.rockthevote.com/rtv_primaries.php for links to their states’ absentee information.
Rock the Vote also houses much information about issues that are important to students, including jobs, health care, free expression and the possible reinstatement of the draft. Visit these Web pages under Rock the Vote’s “Why Vote?” section to learn how these issues — and your vote — directly affect your life.
For information on the presidential candidates and where they stand on these important issues, visit www.presidentmatch.com. Here, you will find a list of topics that Kerry, Bush, and interestingly enough former Democrat candidate Dennis Kucinich favor or oppose. The information is not detailed, but gives a good overview. On www.presidentmatch.com, visitors can also fill out a quiz to help determine which candidate is best for them. The quiz covers many areas, including social issues, education and the economy.
Another good resource is www.vote-smart.org, where visitors can find information not only on Bush or Kerry, but almost any candidate who is currently seeking major political office in the United States. For the candidates’ official statements, visit www.JohnKerry.com and www.GeorgeWBush.com.
Becoming an informed voter might take some time, but given the state of our world today, each student should be involved in choosing the leader who will shape our nation’s future. It’s your government — you owe it to yourself to participate.
9-16-2004