As election season rolls around, stressful feelings may come up for individuals; therefore KSC faculty and staff are able to share some guidance on how to take the best care during these times
Kim Schmidl-Gagne, American Democracy Project coordinator elaborated on how Keene State College takes a stand to help support individuals voting and strives to make it as “easy and understandable.”
“Looking to vote can get confusing if you’re not local but luckily there is information to help. The State of New Hampshire has same-day registration and over 80% of students do this,” Schmidl-Gagne said. “The school works with city clerks so the polling stations are ready for the influx of students to show up and register to vote.”
If transportation seems to be a setback for those looking to vote, Schmidl-Gagne said, “The school is running transportation busses to and from the polling stations, with staff on board in assistance.”
Schmidl-Gagne said being intimidated by voting is common; however, there is “a lot of misinformation set out to be scare tactics.” She said rumors around voting include that voters must register their cars to participate or that voting will affect their financial aid. Schmidl-Gagne said these are simply not true, and people should never be scared to vote.
“It’s exciting and celebratory, and your vote can make a difference,” stated Schmidl-Gagne.
Mike Welsh, chair of Keene State’s Political Science Department, discussed his conception of the stress that may arise during election times.
“Now there are probably stats around elevated levels of stress commencing through the general public close to the times of election, which are a lot like elevated levels of negative thinking of the other side,” Welsh stated.
Welsh said about the contrary beliefs, “Extremists all have something in common, which is a higher level of consumption of politics in general. Not to minimize any of those stances, however, there is a tendency to consume too much information, and it reinforces your valid point of view and tends to push it into a less valid place.”
Welsh added, “Each party tends to have a fairly distorted point of view about the real political climate, and their outlook is a lot more distorted than that of those who don’t consume more information. In certain circumstances, less information is more.”
Austin Hunt, assistant training director and mental health counselor said, “Politics feel very loud.” With party loyalty, Hunt said, “Individuals are more willing to make large statements about their view, and to clarify what side they are on. Makes people feel like they are on the spot to back up their views because of something they might not have any control over.”
Hunt described voting as personal: “The things we see and read and watch can be attacking, and it makes it feel a lot harder to have these conversations.”
Hunt would advise how to shift this information into useful tactics. “Take things that face value, don’t assume, because people are dynamic. Life will go on whichever people we select. However, situations may change for individuals and groups, and if you care about those groups and individuals, it should inform how you talk about these things,” Hunt stated.
In the meantime, Hunt recommends to voters: “Do what feels safe for you, what is a good place for you, stay in that space and disconnect from the constant news cycle. We are humans, not meant to operate under a lot of stress. Go easy on yourself”.
Katie Aguilar can be contacted at
kaguilar@kscequinox.com
