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An everything-but-the-kitchen-sink breakdown of everything you need to know to be an informed voter this November
(especially if your beliefs fall out of line with Amer-
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underrepresented. For example, in 2016, only about
Cara Robbins
46 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29
W
e get it. College is stressful enough already. Why pile onto that already-existing chaos by tuning to the hectic, convoluted and exhausting politics that are currently defining 2020? The
task of registering to vote, navigating the decision between voting early or in person, and responsibly researching the issues on your ballot is, to say the least, daunting. Fortunately, the Cleveland State campus has plenty of great resources available to ensure that this coming November, you’re ready (and excited!) to vote. The CSU Office of Civic Engagement (OCE) has plenty of resources available to help you navigate the elections, and people like Program Coordinator and Director Anita Ruf-Young and graduate assistant Anthony Kukura are always willing to help. This semester, the Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) and the Campus Vote Project (CVP) have teamed up with the OCE to make sure that CSU students have all of the help they need to participate in and understand this year’s elections. The League of Women Voters is also an active student organization on campus—if you have any civic questions for them or are interested in becoming a member, shoot them an email at vikevote@csuohio.edu.This year, CEEP and CVP have several on-campus student fellows who are more than willing to provide any additional help to you.
Why You Should Vote One of the most common reasons people don’t vote is because they don’t believe that their vote makes a difference. Your vote, on the surface, can seem inconsequential when compared to the millions of votes cast on and around election day 41 | VINDICATOR
SHOULD
ica’s two-party system). However, this belief doesn’t take into account the fact that the age group to which most CSU students belong is currently significantly
participated in the election, according to census.gov. If this trend persists in 2020, that means roughly 29 million people will not exercise their constitutionally protected right to choose their representation. The sheer volume of this population certainly has the ability to make a dramatic impact on the outcome of the 2020 elections. One vote may not seem like it has a big impact, but 29 million people voicing their own unique and valid opinions can certainly shape the 2020 elections in a way that fully represents the American population. Furthermore, with a backdrop of a global pandemic and nationwide protests, the 2020 elections are shaping up to be quite a chapter in American history. Whatever the outcome of this election, future generations will look back at this unique moment and draw conclusions on how it made a dramatic change in the world they live in. There’s something novel about knowing that you can participate in something that will have a strong influence on the context of the world decades from now. Don’t miss out on your chance to help shape what future history textbooks say about this turbulent period in our country.
How You Can Vote The deadline to register to vote for the general election is October 5, so hopefully if you’re reading this, you’ve already registered to vote. If not, there’s still time, but you should act quickly. You can register online quickly and easily at olvr.ohiosos.gov. Make sure to have your Ohio driver’s license or another valid Ohio ID, plus the last four digits of your Social Security number. Don’t have a valid Ohio ID? No worries. You’ll just need to register to vote in person, and provide the last four digits of your Social Security number. The Office of Civic Engagement will have tables in the Rhodes Tower plaza on October 5, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., where you can register to vote.
