Students vote in gubernatorial primaries across the country

Geoffrey Fieger, the combative lawyer for Jack Kevorkian, secured the Democratic nomination for governor last Tuesday, edging out fellow contenders Larry Owen and Doug Ross.

As expected, Governor John Engler was selected for the Republican gubernatorial candidate, in his attempt to seek a third term.

While young people are often described as apathetic at best in the political arena, many students said election primaries are an integral part of the democratic process.

"It's important to have a voice in decisions that are made about our government," said LSA junior Randall Johnson, an Ohio resident.

Bram Elias, an LSA junior who knows the importance of voting from his own successful bid for an MSA seat, voted for the first time in the California primary three weeks ago.

"I got my absentee ballot in the mail," Elias said. "It was the first election I got to vote in."

Even though the candidate he voted for lost, Elias said he was happy he had taken the trouble to cast his ballot.

Other students could not find time to vote in the primary, with work demands and other constraints. Many said they simply did not have the will to trek home to vote where they are registered.

"I didn't think ahead of time to get an absentee ballot," said Riley Hoffman, an LSA junior from Romeo. "It's an hour-and-a-half drive home. I just didn't feel like it."

Jackie Townsend, an LSA junior, said she forgot about the election because she doesn't own a television.

"I feel so bad," Townsend said. "I had an absentee ballot, and I just never got around to voting. I don't have a TV, so I didn't know when it was happening."

Still others saw no point in participating in the electoral process, saying the candidates being offered by the parties across the country was giving them very little selection.

"I don't think the primaries are an effective way to voice your opinion," said Mark Mollé, a New York resident attending State University of New York. "I think there's only one party in this country anyway. I'm frustrated."

- Daily News Editor Susan T. Port contributed to this report.

08-10-98