With the Election this past week on the 4th of November, there was a huge advocacy to get students here at St. Olaf to vote. There are many important reasons to vote in any election. First of all, women have only had the right to vote for 97 years, a much shorter time than men have been given this right. Because the Nineteenth Amendment exists, women should be more likely to vote. This is not always the case, though. There are many reasons that are perfectly okay to decide not to vote.
Political awareness has a strong presence here on the St. Olaf campus. With the election going on this past week there has been a huge effort to push people to vote. It is important to exercise the right to vote, especially for many students for which this might be their first election or chance to vote. So this was a great time to get informed and choose the candidates that represent your political views. College is a great time to find out how you feel about certainn issues in politics, and if you already know where you stand, it makes voting that much easier. If you choose to vote, congratulations for participating in democracy.
While voting is a great way to be a part of the democracy that is the United States of America, there are plenty of reasons that are perfectly okay not to vote. As I wandered around campus the past few days, the pressure to vote felt overwhelming. While it is our right to vote as Americans, that does not mean that we do not have the right not to vote. If you are not informed on the problems affecting our country, or how you feel about them, it might not be the best for you to vote. Just because there is pressure from people all over school for you to vote does not mean in any way that you need to vote. If you choose not to, just be honest on your reason why; it’s possible that many people on campus feel the same way as you.