It has only been 37 years since 18 year olds were given the right to vote in the United States – roughly one generation has passed since college students, old enough to fight a war, were considered old enough to have a say in their government.
This year, it appears they’re making up for lost time as registration drives and political groups sweep campuses.
In many places, these drives have set historical records, marking the most students registered in one day, one month or, in the case of New York University, three hours.
On Sept. 24, the Young Democrats at NYU set up registration tables in every residence hall on campus, registering 762 students from 7 to 10 p.m., which was, according to the club’s president, the most successful drive in the university’s history.
The University Daily Kansan reported Sept. 23 that at Harvard University’s National College Conference for Political Engagement, John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Institute of Politics, said his statistics show 62 percent of the youth polled are excited about the election.
And that excitement is showing.
Here at UH, Pi Sigma Alpha, Phi Alpha Theta, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Student Government Association organized the UHave a Voice Election Seminar and voter registration drive. The event brought a number of politicians to campus Sept. 30, and registered students while educating them on the issues.
The Young Democrats at UH, Students for Obama at UH and the Mock Trial Debate Team at UH, among others, have manned voter registration tables at the University Center for weeks.
The "Ultimate College Bowl," organized by MySpace and a number of voter registration groups, promises a free concert by Death Cab for Cutie for the schools that register the most voters, and scholarships for students who notch the most individually.
The efforts are monumental, and we commend all of the students, organizations and schools working so hard to get young adults involved.
But let us not forget that being registered to vote is useless unless one knows what they are voting for. The UHave a Voice Election Seminar was an excellent way to combine education with a registration drive, and the campus organizations that took part deserve recognition for their impressive effort to bring the event to campus.
The work to get students eligible to exercise one of their most important rights has been phenomenal, and we sincerely hope the trend continues when it comes time to actually exercise that right. From the looks of it, it seems students will be as excited and involved one month from now.
