Outraged with the price of college tuition, gas and health care? Are you scared that the current job market won’t have a place for you after graduation? Then vote!
Every college student has the ability to have his or her voice heard and represented in the government by voting for the president of the United States.
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama made history as the first woman and African American to run for office in our generation. And now you have a chance to make history by choosing who you feel is best suited to run our country. If the college students coast to coast cast a vote during the election we will finally be saying we care, we know and we want a voice.
Sure, it’s easy to complain about how the government is spending money, especially since the United States in $9.6 trillion in debt. But complaining is not the answer. Go to the polls and show the country that college students do care and that more focus should be put on us and our beliefs, since we are the future of this country.
You must register to vote. It is not too late. If you are a resident on campus you can even register in Radnor, Pa., to avoid having to fill out absentee ballets, which you must request to receive then fill out and send back up to five days before the election, depending on state regulations.
The election is Nov. 4, and some states require residents to register a month in advance. This is a simple and easy process; a registration form can be found on the Internet and completed in minutes. No excuses. This is our duty!
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the 2004 election 47 percent of voters 18-24 years old turned out on Election Day, compared to the 72 percent of Americans ages 55 and older.
This current election, 44 million citizens 18-29 will be eligible to vote and with a demographic this big we have the chance to write our very own history.
Learn the issues. It is your responsibility to know what your vote can do, so educate yourself on the issues. The government is currently debating the issues that affect college students and our future.
Be curious where the government is spending the American tax dollars. Is it going to areas that you feel are necessary to build a strong nation? Our government is spending more than it is bringing in with taxes. This affects college students because this debt will have to be paid off in the future when we are starting families and buying homes.
Instead of picking a presidential candidate because they appeared on MTV last week or they have a Facebook account, learn about what they stand for and figure out which candidate best represents your views. There are Web sites that inform citizens about the issues and what is at stake for our country.
Yourvoteyourvoice.org has all the information and deadlines needed to register, vote and get absentee ballots for each state.
Regardless of which candidate you choose you must vote. Encourage your friends to vote, talk about politics and current events. Let’s show the country that college students are not apathetic and we care about our country and we want to see a change.
