Voting is seen as an important thing to do. In fact, it is one of the responsibilities of Americans. While the importance of voting is clear, the editors of The Equinox believe voting in smaller elections often gets overlooked, especially by college students.
Local elections make a significant difference in how a city runs. We feel the students of Keene State College should care more about who wins the elections in Keene. Some people, especially those in the younger generation, might be pessimistic or nihilistic when it comes to elections. They might feel their one vote will not make a profound difference. While it may be true that one vote does not change much, if everyone adopted that mindset, no progress would ever be made.
Another reason why some may be against voting is because they are scared of making actual change. Instead of doing something that can make real progress, many young people take to virtue signaling on social media to voice outrage thinking that will solve problems. Sometimes this might be the best thing someone can think of and sometimes people don’t really care but want the cachet of supporting a cause. Either way, making posts on social media can only raise so much awareness before it becomes meaningless.
Some college students might not care about elections in Keene because they are from a different city or state. They might care more about their own city because that is where they are going as soon as break starts. While it may be more profitable to focus on your own city, political decisions in Keene will still affect you, especially if you live off-campus. For example, Keene’s infrastructure is a political decision. If you spend any time on the road for the months you live here, it is most likely something you will care about.
With how important freedom of choice is to Americans, it is surprising so few people do not seem to take smaller elections seriously. In particular with primary elections, some people will complain about the two choices they have even when they have had ample opportunity to select better choices. People who are voting in primary elections sometimes tend to be on the “extreme” side of politics, leading to the more “extreme” candidates winning. We feel it is important to fight against extremism.
Local elections also make big differences. The results determine who runs the department of education, among other important things for the city. Everyone, especially students, should be researching who they think will make their city better and going out to vote.
Thankfully, the importance of elections is not lost on the students of Keene State College. According to Keene State voting data, between 2014 and 2018, the rate of students voters increased by 12.5 percent, despite enrollment dipping 27 percent. While these were midterm elections and therefore bigger elections, it is good to see Keene State College’s students are taking voting seriously.
We implore you to go vote. It is much more important than you think it will be. Make sure you handle your responsibility as an American citizen.
