With Election Day right around the corner on November 5th, the conversation around college students voting is back on people’s tongues. College students have a historically low voting rate. Whether it be due to disinterest or general unawareness, students aren’t rushing the polls.
The issue of out-of-state students comes to mind, but with mail-in ballots that problem shouldn’t be detrimental to voting impact. Campuses also typically have organizations or groups to help provide students with information on voting. For example, at the University of Tampa, Tampa Votes provides information both through their social media and tables set up in main campus areas. As a Journalism student, I see information every day about the election and feel informed due to the various news subscriptions I have. However, that I snot the case for most student.s Due to the perception that the news is just sad and depressing, student typically don’t look at it. There is also the perception that one vote won’t make a difference. This is the mindset that results in low voter turn-outs for college students.
It is also stressful. As students, Election Day can seem distant compared to current workloads and jobs. It may not be a top priority to vote especially if they are out-of-state. That’s why it’s important to stay aware of dates and the news. It is a right that many people have fought to have in our county and should be something students look forward to doing.
Information about the candidates can be found on government websites and AP News and NPR News. Both provide unbiased news, not just on politicians but all news. This is a good opportunity to add that staying aware of what’s going on in the world is important, even if you’re still in school.