From the Newsdesk:Picture it- November 2, 2008. West Chester University.
The lines coming out of both Lawrence and Wayne Hall reached out the building and down the sidewalk for people excited to cast their vote. Who they were voting for isn’t the issue, because there were plenty of people excitedly supporting both major candidates. People bragged about skipping class to vote, wore their support on shirts and pins and actively encouraged their friends to vote. In the evening after the polls closed, Sykes sponsored a bi-partisan results viewing party.
Now, a snapshot of the 2010 Elections. After voting at home, I drove to campus to start my day. Around the same time that I had stood in line for just under two hours just two years prior, I went up to Lawrence to take a look at the voting crowd. And by crowd, I mean empty lobby with poll workers waiting around.
Why?
On Tuesday, my first question to everyone I spoke to was, “DID YOU VOTE?!” and a shockingly high number of the responses were along the lines of, “no, it didn’t seem worth it for a midterm election.” Part of me was aching to ask these people what they think Congress actually does, and the other part was terrified for what the answer might be, so I refrained (Look it up guys, they actually make the laws. They propose bills. They pass laws. They do the important stuff).
So my questions to you are these: Where were you on Tuesday when you weren’t voting? Why didn’t you vote? Why wasn’t the campus flooded with support for candidates like it was for most of the fall semester of 2008?
My opinion on the results of the election is somewhat irrelevant right now, because even during the day before the results were released I was still frustrated with the amount of non-voters. I don’t care if you vote against me, I just want you to cast an informed vote.
-Jenn