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eporter Vol. CXXII
Issue 7
Stetson University | DeLand, Fla.
Politically Unreactive? A new generation of Stetson voters appear tentative about political involvement Sarah Dean News Editor The 2014 midterm elections have come and gone, and many would-be-first-time voters stayed on campus and out of the polling booths. Many students seem to doubt the weight of their own votes, and the discussion of political issues, even among friends, is avoided. Of the diverse group of students interviewed about their political views and voting status, the majority showed minimal interest in discussing politics with their peers, and many, while interested in national issues, seemed reluctant to be involved with local or state-level issues. Stetson sophomore Galen McTaggart volunteered for the Obama election campaigns for the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and was once heavily involved in her local Democratic party office. However, since arriving at Stetson, her perspective on politics has shifted. McTaggart, who now identifies as an independent, said she had no plans to vote in any elections this year. “I’m not very interested in any current state-level issues,” McTaggart said. “I don’t think politics affect us [Stetson students] much. College is kind of a bubble.” Other students are interested in politics, but college life simply overtakes their concern with issues of the outside world. Emily Goodwin is a music major with a heavy class load, and she said her filled-to-the-brim schedule definitely overshadows her political involvement. Goodwin, who is also not yet registered to vote, plans to vote in the presidential election. She did express interest in state and local issues; she was knowledgeable about current events and what was on the Floridian ballot, particularly the amendments, despite not voting in the this years’ elections. Presidential elections may paint a different picture of student voters. Several students reported not having much interest in state and local elections, but found na-
Photo credit: Sarah Dean tional issues to be of greater importance. According to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, the registration and voting rates for Stetson in the 2012 presidential election were not low. This study collected data about voting behavior for the majority of the student population: 85.9 percent. It revealed that of all three campuses (DeLand, Celebration, and Stetson Law in Gulfport), 54.6 percent of students turned out to vote. Stetson’s voting rate was actually higher than both the national range and the Floridian range of voters aged 18 to 24. Despite the large amount of voters in the national elections, the 2014 state elections appeared to have less than an enthusiastic student response. “I believe national issues just matter a bit more,” said McTaggart. “They affect more people who won’t necessarily get to vote themselves, such as immigrants, minors, and others.”
Many students, especially those who are out-of-state and would have to vote by absentee ballot, seem to care little about the Florida elections. It is unclear why students seem to have less concern about local issues. Many are unfamiliar with the candidates, or are displeased with local and state politics in general. Much of this seems to stem from the repetitive advertisements used, especially for the Florida gubernatorial race. All of the interviewees spoken to about this subject showed distaste for the way the gubernatorial race was being run. PolitiFact.com confirms that many ads recycle the same exact attack content multiple times. “With a week to go until Election Day, you probably feel like you’ve heard every attack in the Florida gubernatorial campaign before. That’s because you have,” wrote Josh Gillin of PolitiFact in an article published Oct. 27. “With millions being poured into TV commercials, Gov. Rick Scott and
his challenger Charlie Crist…keep recycling the same talking points over and over. Many of them have been used so many times, PolitiFact Florida has already checked them more than once.” While most were disinterested, some Stetson students did show more enthusiasm when it comes to politics. Junior Drew Smith Denston, a registered member of the Republican party, is more open about his political beliefs than many of the other students interviewed. “I am planning on voting in all local and state elections this year,” Denston said. He is also more open to political discussion than many, and despite growing up in a Republican household, he says his beliefs are purely his own. “I vote the way I want to vote. My parents themselves do not sway my political beliefs,” Denston said. Out-of-state student Emily Stamey made it a point to vote absentee for her home state of Maine.
“I don’t believe my vote counts very much, but it’s still important to me, if that makes sense,” Stamey commented. Stamey expressed a lot of interest in Maine state-level issues, but does not want to take part in any in Florida. If there is one thing Stetson students seem to agree on, it is the fact that bringing up politics in conversation is still a floor of lava people do not want to touch, despite being in a heavily-academic environment where political and social discussion is encouraged. According to Assistant Director of Community Engagement Kevin Winchell, there is a national trend toward young people being more civically engaged, despite being less politically engaged. While many students connect to socio-political causes, they are less likely to label them under the umbrella of politics and would rather put them in the category of non-partisan social justice, despite many social justice causes being at the heart of political platforms. As Goodwin put it, this may be because the term “politics” in itself tends to almost be a dirty word. “It causes too many problems than it’s worth most of the time,” said Goodwin on the subject. “It’s nice to engage in thought-provoking political conversations, but not at the sake of friendships; it’s not worth it.” “I can only talk about politics if I already know my friends agree,” Stamey commented. “I don’t think I could even befriend someone with different political ideals; the conversations would be too awkward.” “My friends and I do not discuss politics normally,” added McTaggart. “I don’t like confrontation or disagreement.” While student voter response may seem bleak for the midterms, it seems that the national elections in 2016 will be set to draw a larger response. Only time will tell what the atmosphere of presidential election season will bring to Stetson or if passion for national issues will encourage students to use their political voice.