OUR VIEW: Calling all students: use your vote

Nov. 7 is coming fast, and for those of you who know what that means, feel proud – you are among those who are at least semi-informed.

For those of you who don’t know, Tuesday, Nov. 7 is election day, the day we decide whether Rob Bishop will continue to be the Representative for Utah Congressional District 1, whether Orrin Hatch will retain the Congressional seat he’s held since 1976, and other, more local issues, such as who will sit on the Logan School Board.

Students are traditionally among the most informed, most passionate and most outspoken citizens. Now is the time we set a pattern of involvement and awareness in our lives. According to a report by the Pew Research Center, young people are no longer picking up the habit of reading newspapers at the same rate previous generations have. One bright spot: The Vanishing Voter project by Harvard University showed voter turnout, especially among young people, rose sharply from 2000 to 2004.

Now is not the time for young people to lose interest. Eighteen-year-olds were given the right to vote based on the idea that if a person is old enough to die for his or her country, that person should be able to vote. The U.S. is in the middle of a war that shows no signs of letting up. Students must show their support or dissention for the war. Research candidates’ stances on it.

At home, we face other issues. Border security is still a hot topic, gas prices are nearly schizophrenic in their roller-coastering, the ANWR debate continues, and the national stance on gay marriage is still in flux. These are issues that will determine the world we inherit. Allowing others to determine it would be irresponsible.