News > November 3, 2006

By Gerianne Benson

Senior writer

Students prepare for midterm elections through involvement in political organizations and in classes.

General elections are just around the corner. On Nov. 7, registered voters across the nation will be submitting their vote for general elections. 

But will university students be among the group?

“My sense is that Wake students are much like other Americans in that they are not following the 2006 elections with the same interest that is seen in presidential election years such as in 2004,” said John Dinan, professor of political science. 

Voter turnout percentages, which range between 50 and 60 percent in recent presidential election years, falls to below 40 percent in years without a presidential race. 

According to Dinan, it may be even lower this year due to the lack of a state-wide race in North Carolina, which does not have a gubernatorial nor U.S. Senate seat up for election during this cycle.  “Students definitely care more about national politics. It is much harder to get students involved in assisting local candidates’ campaigns than it is for national campaigns. 

I understand of course, since many students come from different states and have no long-term interest in the local politics of Winston-Salem.  However, getting active in college will give you insight into politics for the rest of your life, regardless of where you participate,” said senior Alexis Rollins, vice president of College Democrats. 

Senior Barbara Smith, president of College Republicans, concurs,  “Given that Political Science is the second-most popular major at Wake Forest, I am surprised that some students are not more politically active,” she said.

This year, in order to promote absentee ballot voting, both College Republicans and College

Democrats co-sponsored a voter registration and absentee ballot drive during the fall semester- both presidents collaborated to make the program a success. 

“ If someone registered to vote or registered for his/her absentee ballot, he/she was allowed to pie one (or both) of the presidents in the face.  This event not only sparked interest in politics and encouraged political participation, it made light of some of the divisions between the parties,” said Rollins..  Additionally, “I expect that many Political Science professors have held discussions in their classes about registration and voting processes, in preparation for the election,” said Dinan.  For his own class, students examined in detail the sample ballot for Forsyth County voters and discussed both the full range of offices and issues at stake in the election.  Democracy Matters, a program that “informs and engages college students and communities in efforts to strengthen our democracy,” according to their website, has also had booths on the Quad to help students register to vote and sign up for absentee ballots.

Some students are often more active in local politics than people might expect.  According to Smith, “when it comes to Republicans on campus, I think there are many

more active Republicans than you might realize.  College Republicans are working for local Congressmen and judges, and we are also deploying with the national Republican Party to key states across the nation - we are sending members to Virginia, New York, Illinois, Georgia, Rhode Island, and elsewhere for crucial 72-hour GOTV efforts.”  College Republicans and College Democrats both have very active members, and several students are volunteering with local campaigns.

Awareness is the key to interest for the upcoming elections.  According to Katy Harriger, a Political Science professor, “most students are not from here and have little knowledge about local issues and candidates.  This is really too bad, since local campaigns provide a great opportunity to get political experience at the grass-roots level!” Smith agrees, saying that “I believe it is important for students to be informed about politics both at the local and national level.”  Rollins stresses the point that every person’s vote is important.  “Students seem to think that their vote does not count.  Nothing frustrates me more.  A vote does count.  Voting is about more than going to the polls on Election Day or mailing in an absentee ballot.  Voting requires paying attention to the world around you and stepping outside of your own ‘bubble.’  Voting involves thinking and making choices,” said Rollins.  According to rockthevote.com, a website encouraging college students to vote, “You don’t have to be a genius or even politically oriented to be qualified to vote. Really, you just need to have an opinion. And in our experience, everyone has an opinion. We always encourage you to have an informed opinion…But don’t feel intimidated by the complexity of the issues — you don’t have to meet anyone else’s standard but your own. And secondly, the actual process for voting is really, really easy…Don’t worry about it. Just vote.” 

“Voting is a choice and a privilege, and I would rather see students make considered, informed decisions than vote for the sake of voting.  Research the candidates, understand the issues on the ballot, think about the implications of your decisions, and vote your conscience.  We are blessed to live in the most powerful country in the world, and especially blessed to be able to control who leads it,” said Smith.