By Melanie Pace | Broadcast Reporter
With a little over a month until the mid-term elections, there are still a few days left to register before the cut-off date next Tuesday.
Dr. Rebecca Flavin, senior lecturer of political science, said voter turnout is generally lower for young people. On Baylor’s campus, the number of students who vote is below 10 percent.
Flavin said not voting means “not exercising your voice.”
Though the immediate effects of voting are not always apparent, the consequences can be far-reaching. Flavin cites student loans as a particular issue young people should take into account when considering political participation.
“Students are the most directly impacted by this,” Flavin said. If you do not vote or contact elected leaders to inform them of your opinions, “they don’t hear you.”
“Elected leaders are going to respond to the people that are elected them,” Flavin said.
Flavin said voting apathy is not just a problem of our generation, but characterizes young people in general.
“When we were 18 to 25 we didn’t vote either,” Flavin said.
One of the things Flavin suggests might drive a low voter turnout is the notion that voting is complicated.
For Baylor students not from the Waco area, Flavin said it is often difficult to decide where to vote.
“The thing I tell students is pick the place where you feel most invested or most educated,” Flavin said.
For 37 out of 50 states, there is online voter registration. For students from these states who wish to vote in their hometowns, they can register online.
“Unfortunately, Texas is not one of those states,” Flavin said. If you are unsure of the status of registration in your state, click here to find out more and to register to vote. To find out non-partisan details about the coming elections, click here.
