Let’s All Vote!

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Eric Wolfe

270-745-6597

Network Specialist

WKU Networking & Communications

Bowling Green, KY

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Let’s All Vote!

Lets’s all vote! According to the article in January 29th edition of the College Heights Herald, two students are running in local elections with the idea of increasing voter turnout amongst younger voters. “Just get out there and vote,” boasts one candidate. The Herald also reports that Sandra Ardrey, head of the political science department, agrees with the students running for office and that it “fits in with Western’s quality enhancement program.”

Where did the idea come from that increasing voter turnout is a good thing? The media often states it as “expressing” oneself. Is expressing yourself what you should be doing at a voting booth? More important than expressing one’s self is making an informed decision about a candidate. People don’t have a responsibility to vote….rather, voter’s have a responsibility of picking the leaders that shape our future. That is not a responsibility to be taken lightly.

Instead of trying to increase voter turnout, maybe our WKU candidates should strive to increase awareness amongst the voting population. Increasing voter turnout among uninformed people decreases the quality of the decision being made….a far cry from “quality enhancement.”

Personally, I feel most students (and other young voters) ought to stay home on election day. Are young people really aware of the issues that our community faces? Maybe, but those who are aware and informed will probably vote anyway….at least if they have a candidate they share principles with. So don’t “express” yourself on election day, be responsible, get informed and then vote, but if you can’t take this responsibility seriously, then maybe you should stay home. We don’t need more voters, we need more informed voters.