EDITORIAL: It’s time to vote
Each month, the editorial board of The Utah Statesman will share our view on a topic we think is worth addressing. This month, we’re encouraging students to take advantage of the extracurricular opportunities at Utah State.
To submit a response to this column, or submit a letter to the editor on a new topic, email your submission to opinion@usustatesman.com.
It’s time to vote.
On Tuesday, we have the opportunity to choose our representatives for our state, our county, and in our community.
You might think your vote doesn’t matter — many others have the exact same thought. But in the 2014 Utah midterm election, only 17 percent of eligible voters aged 19-28 voted. That’s right. Statistically speaking, less than one in five college-age voters cast a ballot in that election.
Ballots were already mailed out earlier this month to registered voters across the state of Utah. Those will be accepted if they are postmarked by November 5 or dropped off at a ballot drop box location on Election Day. If you received one of those ballots, fill it out, then come pay the 50 cents at the post office on the first floor of the TSC to get your stamp and send it in (and while you’re there, poke your head into the student media office across the hall and tell us hello!)
For everyone else, you can still register to vote on Election Day at the polls. Just remember to bring a valid I.D. with your name and photograph (like a driver’s license or passport) or two official items that verify your address (such as a utility bill or vehicle registration).
On Tuesday, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the closest polling location to campus is at the Cache County Clerk’s office at 179 N Main St. Other locations can easily be found here.
Voting isn’t hard!
We don’t need to tell you how important it is to be informed, and it’s easier than ever to do so. Ballotpedia.org is a useful resource to help you make an informed decision. After entering in your address, you can find information on candidates, constitutional amendments and propositions. Candidate profiles have a brief biography and responses from the candidates about their priorities if elected. While you’re waiting around on Saturday for that 10 p.m. kickoff of the football game (time zones are weird), take a few minutes to read over the ballot.
If you want to know more about a particular ballot item, you can read an in-depth analysis that further explains the matter in detail. Vote.utah.gov also has more in-depth information on candidates, amendments and propositions — including an explanation of what a vote for and vote against the amendments and propositions really mean.
We’re not telling you who to vote for, but we are telling you to go vote. You might think your vote doesn’t matter, but you’re wrong. Voter turnout rates are low enough — especially for midterm elections — that your ballot will have an impact.
So who are the 83 percent of 19-28-year-old voters that didn’t make it to the polls last time? Quite possibly it was you, but it was also your friends, roommates, classmates and neighbors. This year, grab them and go to the polls.
It’s time to make a change — together.
However you decide to vote — by mail or in person — be sure to make an educated, informed decision. Encourage your friends to make a difference and let their voice be heard. Let’s change the mindset and be more than the 17 percent of voters our age that showed up last midterm.