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Image provided by: Jefferson Community College
OCTOBER 1992 PAGE 7 Student Interest High For Upcoming Election by John Williams (CPS) - With just a few weeks until the presidential election, student interest in the race between President Bush and his Democratic contender Bill Clinton is keen, political observers said, belying the notion that young people don't care about government. \There is more interest in this election than we've probably seen in the last three elections,\ said Ralph Baker, a political science professor at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. With the economy in the doldrums and issues such as abortion and the environment in the forefront of the campaign, this year's presidential election has captured the interest of thousands of college and university students, activists say, pointing to the number of young people who are registering to vote. \Smart politicians are refocusing efforts on campus, especially to bring in a new and empowered electorate,\ said Mike Dolan, field director for California-based Rock the Vote, a non-profit, non-partisan organization that organized student voter registration drives nationwide. \The thematic reason is that the youth vote has become a target, a real opportunity for change.\ The opportunity to register to vote for the Nov. 3 election is over in most states. However, representatives of several organizations that held voter registration drives said they registered hundreds of thousands of students in time for the election, indicating that interest in the election is high, Rock the Vote has registered 225,000 students as voters, Dolan said. Rock the Vote, based in Beverly Hills, was founded in 1990 by leading record labels and musicians in response to perceived threats to artistic expression. It was broadened to include registering the youth and getting them out to vote. \Something is percolating on college campuses among the voters,\ Dolan said. \Young people are ready and eager to take back the system from the politics as usual.\ The Center for Policy Alternatives and the National Civil League held a voter registration drive Oct, 1 at 44 colleges, community colleges and universities. Although a final count hasn't been tabulated, some the results included registering 4,300 students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2000 at the University of New Mexico and 800 at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said Burck Smith, a program assistant for the center. \I think there is a resurgence of youth interest in politics again. The issues are imposing.\ he said. \All the talk about the national debt weighs on our nation's youth. They look at the job market and there's not much available. College students say the environment and other issues are starting to hit home.\ While Texas billionaire Ross Perot is back in the race after dropping out in July has caused some alterations in campaign strategies, national polls suggest his reemergence will do little to change the outcome. \Perot is not a charismatic figure who would appeal to the young,\ said Joe Losco, who teaches American government at Ball State University. \I don't think he's excited them, especially since he quit and jumped back in again.\ According to the latest Census Bureau figures available, 26 million men and women in the 18-24 age group are eligible to vote, and about 40 percent of this group is registered. In contrast, there are 40.7 million people ages 25 to 44 years, and 58 percent are registered to vote - 76 percent - are those age 65 years old and older. \Students are less cynical, less than in the last four to eight years,\ Baker said. \They talk of change, but maybe they're putting too much hope in change. Maybe they are tired of the same people running the country.\ The next step is to get registered voters to the polls, Dolan and Smith said. An ad hoc coalition made up of Rock the Vote, the Center for Policy Alternatives, the United States Student Association, the Americans for Democratic Action and the Campus Green Vote is working on a plan to get out the vote. Tony Zagotta, president of the College Republicans, said his group's registration drive was a success. College Republicans registered 10,000 students at Texas A&M, 500 students at Memphis State Sate University in Tennessee and 3,000 young people in Colorado. \Both campaigns are reaching out to young people. There is anxiety about the future of our country,\ he said. \America is in a transitional period. This election will decide what path the U.S. will take into the 21st century.\ The College Democrats also have registered thousands of students, although exact figures are not available yet, spokesman Jamie Harmon said. \Students are worried about the future, but hopeful they can change things,\ he said. Election Day: November 3, 1992 Letting our voices be heard by Gidget Rafus CANNON STAFF WRITER On November 3,1992 we as American citizens have the power to change all the different issues that have crippled our society for years. With great concerns involving the environment, education, taxes, and our enormous budget deficit, we are finally able to step forward in mending the roots of broken promises, told to us in previous elections. Isn't it time that we elect politicians who can meet the needs of his constituents? Why should we allow this election to follow the footsteps of the past? Democracy has given us the opportunity to stand up for what we believe in, and to voice our opinions on issues that we find appauling. When we observe issues concerning welfare programs, the homeless, the war on drugs, and gang violence, shouldn't we consider it our duty as citizens of the United States to elect a leader that will tackle the issues that are slowly eroding, what we once considered to be America the beautiful. On election day we are given a tool that can help shape our society and allow for growth-we are given the right to vote. For many people across the country the right to vote is not a privilege. In society we often complain about the state of the world, but what we don't realize is when we don't vote, then our voices go unheard. Regardless of what we may think one vote can make a difference. Being college student we should want to elect a president who will provide an economic road we can travel. For President Bush, Governor Clinton, and Ross Perot the time for change is now. They're prepared to heal the world, the question is are you? Let your voices be heard vote on November 3,1992. JCC STUDENT ELECTION POLL WHO STUDENTS ARE MOST LIKELY TO VOTE FOR STUDENTS CURRENTLY REGISTERED TO VOTE STUDENTS LIKELY TO VOTE IN THIS ELECTION • CUNTON/GORE SI BUSH/QUAYLE • PEROT/STOCKDALE • UNDECIDED 40.0% 20.0% 15.0% 25.0% 1 Registered to Vote M Not Registered to Vote 80.0% 20.0% I Yes No 75.0% 25 0% THIS IS A RANDOM POLL OF ONE HUNDRED JCC COLLEGE STUDENTS DONE BY THE CANNON STAFF
