Most college students don’t vote in presidential election
In 2008, 10 percent of the USU student body voted in the presidential election, according to the Student Involvement and Leadership Office.
Michael Lyons a professor of political science department, said the political negligence can be summed up to laziness. He said many students think they’re participating in politics by voting, when in actuality they’re not politically informed.
“Stop worrying about flying the flag,” Lyons said. “It’s lazy patriotism, and our country deserves more than that. Our country deserves young people committed to following through on the one responsibility as citizens that matters the most.”
Lyons said responsibility is informed voting.
Informed voting is more difficult for some Aggies than others. Hanah Johnson, a junior majoring parks and recreation, said she doesn’t have access to TV, so in order to become informed she must go online and search out the information. Between school and work, there’s little time for her to read the news.
Johnson said she believe college students need to be politically aware and active because many of the decisions being made will directly affect them.
“It benefits us because there could be something that the candidate wants to change that has a direct impact for our generation,” she said.
Daniel Davis, an undecided freshman, said the contention in politics drives him away.
“It doesn’t solve problems,” Davis said. “It just starts more problems.”
Davis said he would be more inclined to listen to politics if he knew how political action and change would affect him personally.
“What really influences me and how, politically, that’s going to influence my life, and that’s all I think about, and honestly, that’s all I care about,” he said.
Davis said many students feel their vote is insignificant.
“People have the mindset that ‘My vote won’t count,'” he said.
Despite this, he said he recognizes the importance of voting.
“We need to vote because this is our country and we need the person that best represents you,” he said.
Johnson said voting is a right, and without exercising this right, we are not in the position to complain about the result. She said when students are participating in the political arena, they show a sense of responsibility as citizens by making sure we are informed voters.
Lyons said the lack of political interest in his generation is a nationwide trend. He said the bulk of voters are not 18-25 years olds, even though legislation influences them.
According to Lyons, roughly half the turnout rate for voters is between the ages of 55 and 75.
“A lot of evidence suggests that aside from politicians focusing on older generations, young voters are not exposed to enough alternative political ideas, resulting in a one-sided knowledge base,” Lyons said.
Lyons said in a dominantly Republican culture, such as in Utah, the tendency to make politics less controversial and contentious results in a small variety of ideas students would be exposed to on the political plain.
“Young people don’t necessarily have much access to a full marketplace of political ideas where they hear credible and effective spokesman articulate liberal or Democratic viewpoints on issues,” he said. “They mostly hear one side.”
Lyons said he puts some of the responsibility on the public education system. He said students taught through the Utah public school system are not adequately taught about government, so they don’t think they are directly affected by the issues addressed in politics and they don’t follow current events regularly.
“People are politicized when they perceive that things affect them directly,” he said.
Lyons said students feel unaffected by politics.
“One of the main things that drives them away from politics is how contentious politics is,” he said. “You can’t want to have a democracy and yet want to avoid contention, but that’s what many young people do seem to want.”
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