The political arena is the overwhelming choice for humor and small talk right now, and the pitifully ironic thing is that the true political arena - the one that actually involves governing - will have trouble getting more than about half those same people to care come Nov. 3.
That is the real travesty of modern government.
The deadline to register for the November elections is Saturday, Oct. 3. Don't ignore it. Don't assume someone else will vote the same way you would. Don't be a sex-scandal skimmer. This is a right we would fight to keep and rebel bitterly if we lost - and yet too many let it pass by.
Registering to vote is now easier than ever. All first-year students received voter registration cards with their residence hall leases. Family housing residents have been provided forms. Between 1,500-2,000 additional students registered during Welcome Week. Voice Your Vote, a non-partisan student organization that registered about 6,500 students in 1996, is working with other campus groups to register students living off-campus. Forms are, as always, available at the Secretary of State's office and Ann Arbor City Hall.
I applaud those students who have taken the first step toward responsible citizenship. For everyone else, registering to vote is as simple as finding the course guide, checking a sports score or ordering from J. Crew.
Just point and click at http://www.netvote.mci.com.
The site, sponsored by MCI, the AARP and Rock the Vote, provides the means to register for almost any state with less information than you'll find on your driver's license.
For those registered at home, surf to http://www.umich.edu/~msa/ivote for information on obtaining an absentee ballot.
No more excuses. Sit in Angell Hall, the Media Union or at home and click to register. Enough said.
But having the right to speak doesn't mean you've opened your mouth. Power is making choices in a month. Don't let that pass by, either.
November's ballot includes Michigan's governor, a proposal to legalize physician-assisted suicide, and two seats on the University Board of Regents, among many other positions and proposals. I guarantee you at least one - and probably more - will directly affect your life.
Sure, one person may not change an election. Let's remind ourselves of the reasons to vote: People died to earn the right, people fought to expand that right, it's our duty and we are lucky compared to other countries.
Beautiful. We remember high school government. While these reasons are absolutely true, they're apparently not enough to propel us to the polls. So, a few more reasons:
n In Michigan, governor's races can swing based on voter turnout. Gov. John Engler was swept into office in 1992 largely based on high turnout in Detroit. A challenger could upset a complacent incumbent this year, too, if voters stay home. The stakes are too high this time. And I would otherwise vote as a Democrat.
n With the responsibility to vote comes the right to complain. No one who stayed home on Nov. 5, 1996, can justify commenting on the current state of White House affairs. Citizenship is not just for when it's convenient or scintillating.
n The most important reason relates to the principle of majority rule: In a democracy, those who speak the loudest win, and those at home watching "South Park" lose. And so groups like the AARP and the NRA, who consider election day a critical priority, are heard loud and clear because 80 to 90 percent vote in every election. People ages 18-24 are a hot demographic for our consumer habits, but only 20 percent tell the federal government that they care.
The government is not only located in Washington, D.C., and Lansing. It is located in your tuition bill, if you receive financial aid. It is located in paychecks as Social Security taxes. It is located on campus in form of the regents, who decide little things like the Code and tuition increases.
We deserve the right to be heard by people other than the producers of "Friends." Take the time: Register, read a newspaper to educate yourself and vote.
Then go ahead and complain. Watch the videos, read the reports and make jokes. Write letters, sign petitions, attend rallies. Demand change.
You've earned it. People will listen.
- Megan Schimpf can be reached over e-mail at mschimpf@umich.edu Thanks, RDF.
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Megan Schimpf Prescriptions |
09-25-98
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