Youth vote not registering with students
Christina Heiser, Managing Editor
Issue date: 10/22/08 Section: News
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"I'm tired of the election," said the sophomore. "It is overrated and I feel neither [candidate] is qualified."
But Torres is not the only St. John's student not voting.
In a poll conducted by the Torch, 933 undergraduate students were asked a series of questions including, "Are you registered to vote?" "Are you planning to vote?" "Who are you voting for?" and "What is the most important issue for you?"
While 685 students polled said they were registered, 248 (roughly one-quarter of student respondents) said that they are not registered.
Government and Politics Professor Diane Heith had her Fall 2007 Public Opinion class conduct a poll asking St. John's students how much they were paying attention to the election; more than one-third said they were not paying a lot of attention.
"The classic question is, what does voting get me," Heith said. She explained that "candidates respond to people who participate," but that in the case of students, if they have never voted before, then politicians will not respond to them, often leaving them to focus on issues more important to older voters, like Medicare and Social Security.
"Students can often say, what does this have to do with me," she said.
Heith, however, is optimistic about student voter turnout in this election.
"College students across the country are definitely more interested in this election," Heith said. "A lot of students are active. You see a lot of [political] T-shirts on campus, which indicates a lot of interest."
Government and Politics Professor Robert Pecorella shared similar sentiments.
"This is the most excited, interested, involved and committed I've ever seen [students]," he said.
One student, freshman Eralis Ventura said that she is voting in the election.
"We have the chance to make a difference," she said.
Another student, sophomore Bridget Barry, said that she is voting because "it is the best way to have a voice."
Both professors said that a candidate's personality is an important factor in a student's decision to choose a candidate to vote for.
"A connection can be very important to people," Heith said. She added that "if politicians seem uninspiring then it's not surprising" that young people do not vote for them.
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