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Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                Matt Dulin     Chris Elliott                        Robyn Morrow                  Johnny Peña
                                      Fabian Sifuentes              Kristen Young

Students have no excuse to not vote 

Americans head to the polls today to cast votes for the leaders of our nation. Members of every race, religion and social position will in a sense hand over a bit of their freedom by voting. Midterm elections tend to arouse less excitement than the frenzied media blitz that surrounds presidential elections, but the outcome of today’s elections will impact the country for years to come, no matter which celebrities are out rocking the vote. 

All too often the hot-button issues in an election cycle are debated without much input from young people. But it’s students ­ the people who will enter the workforce, start families and invest in the economy ­ who will see the effects of legislation implemented now. 

A recent Harvard poll found 32 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds said they were definitely going to vote in today’s elections. If that happens, it will be the largest turnout of young voters since 1971 when the voting age was lowered to 18 from 21.

The war in Iraq may be one cause for the increased interest, but the issues affecting young people span a wide spectrum. The rising cost of education will keep some of us from graduating and it’s a reason to go to your polling station today and cast a vote for someone who will address the problem. 

And there should be no surprise that more young people are voting. We’re always just a text message away from breaking news or just a podcast away from political commentary. We can register to vote without leaving our dorm rooms. The information is truly at our fingertips, we just have to want to know it. Non-partisan Web sites like Youthnoise.com and Rockthevote.com are great starting places for becoming educated about the midterm elections. 

But more young people voting doesn’t mean enough young people are voting. The next governor of Texas may be elected by fewer that 30 percent of the vote, so there’s no better time to make your opinion known. Vote now.