Loquitur staff encourages voter registration

Voter registration among the 18-24 year olds is pathetic to say the least. In the 2000 election 36.1 percent of 18-24 year olds voted, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Would it help if the election process were staged like a weekly episode of “American Idol?”

The question looms, why don’t college students go out and vote? Don’t the issues matter to our generation? Certainly, they do because it will be our generation that will be responsible for the country’s debt and future status in the world. Not to throw around an old cliché but we are the future of this country and we must begin showing our leadership qualities now by proving it in the voting booths.

Cabrini has taken steps towards increasing awareness of voter participation among its students. Sept. 29 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cabrini will be holding “Project Vote Smart,” which according to Student Activities is a “twelve-year old bipartisan organization whose mission is to arm voters and reporters with the most comprehensive, unbiased information available on state, congressional and presidential candidates.”

Prior to the one-hour multimedia lecture presentation held by “Project Vote Smart” the Student Government Association will be conducting voter registration. The SGAare not the only group tackling the issue of voter registration.

Two clubs representing each political party have emerged on campus, the Republican National Committee of Cabrini and the Student Democrat Association. It is impressive that students have taken the initiative to ban together in support of their candidate. Now the question is how will these two respective organizations provide support in registering voters.

It is the goal of these two groups to foremost achieve the objective of influencing students to register to vote. Both political organizations on Cabrini need to hold back from preaching and work together to enlist more voters. The two groups need to schedule political debates later in the year to discuss the issues.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2000 election saw voter registration among 18-24 year olds achieve a low of 45.4 percent involvement. This registration number is down 7.1 percent from the voter registration statistics of the 1992 election.

The numbers are frustrating especially if you take into consideration that MTV’s “Rock the Vote” began in 1990 to encourage voter registration. MTV has understood its role in the youth demographic and has tried to promote registration but still the numbers do not lie.

Now the question remains why do registered voters fail to participate in the election? According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 20.9 percent of registered non-voters gave the excuse of being too busy as the number one answer. Too busy to become an influence in the future of our country is an unacceptable response. We need to become involved.

How can Cabrini avoid this problem among their students? The college could possibly cancel classes that day in support of giving time for the college voter. For those registered in the area, Cabrini should provide transportation to the local precinct otherwise the college should make available absentee ballots for those registered outside Pennsylvania.

Ultimately, the decision will be yours to make but the “Loquitur” encourages everyone eligible to vote to do so. Time is running out for registration. Remember the deadline is Oct. 3 to register as a voter for the upcoming election year.

Every election is important but the citizens of these United States will decide the direction of the country once more in what could be a defining point in our nation’s history. Chances are you will remember the outcome of this election more so than you will the latest “American Idol.”