To make the greatest difference, you should do so while young, especially when it comes to voting. Some of what’s at stake won’t take effect until the future when it matters.
Young voters should take notice that during the 2008 presidential election, voter turnout played an important role. College-age voters hold the power. The ones heavily influencing the decisions right now are older conservative Americans, who mostly sit at home watching FOX and CNN.
The issues that are at stake are too important for young people to ignore. The age old argument that college students put up is that they’re too busy with school and other things to be concerned with what’s happening in the news. This is a poisonous attitude that leads to apathy and inaction.
Unfortunately, what students should realize but don’t is that what goes on in Washington today will affect them tomorrow. Most of the time it’s something mundane such as a raise in taxes; other times, it’s momentous like a change in college loan procedure.
But the point of this article isn’t to scare and worry; it’s simply to bring about concern and awareness not just of the political arena, but more specifically of the Texas gubernatorial election.
This year’s two main contenders are well known. One is the incumbent governor, Rick Perry, while the other is Houston’s former mayor, Bill White.
For the first time, it seems like there could be a change in the political association for Texas’ policies as White has presented somewhat of a challenge to Perry.
But parties and political action aren’t what matters to students. What matters is our education and how we’re going to pay for it, especially those of us who plan to pursue a professional degree and will likely be taking on loans.
Again, all college students should vote in the upcoming election.
Perry and White differ on many issues that are important to college students. Either candidate could significantly affect funding for UH and other public universities. Voting isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a crucial part of the way the Founding Fathers decided this nation should work. America is a democracy that can’t work if everyone who can participate doesn’t.
The University has done a fairly good job at encouraging people to register and is going so far as to offer a shuttle service for early voting. It’s important to remember that college students are the ones who make a difference when it comes to elections.
Varah Thornton is an English freshman and may be reached at [email protected].
