Go vote. No really, you need to vote. Why are you still reading this? Vote.
On Nov. 2, voters across the country will head to polls to cast their vote in the 2010 elections. There are several key races happening here in Georgia, including crucial Gov. and Lt. Gov. races as well as a U.S. Senate race. In addition, all congressional seats will be up for grabs in the congressional midterms, and there will be several races going on in the state legislature and in thousands of local governments.
As college students, it’s easy to get caught up in our own worlds. From the standard 12 to 15—and sometimes more—hours of classes, studying, work and our social lives, our days are generally filled to the brim. As a result, it’s easy for news to take a backseat, and many of us tend to not pay attention to public affairs. Therefore, we are not as aware as we can be about the big issues facing our university, community, state, nation and world.
At every level of the 2010 elections, college students, including those at GCSU, will be affected. And there will be laws and legislation passed that will directly deal with students. For example, there have been significant cuts to Georgia’s education budget in the past few years, leading to teacher furloughs and the downsizing and even cutting of education programs and scholarships. Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship, which has helped several thousand students with higher education across the state since taking effect, has been taking several hits, and the entire fund itself is in serious jeopardy due to the financial woes the state has experienced. Georgia’s government also recently suspended the popular Promise Teacher Scholarship, which provided up to $6,000 for students who agree to teach after graduation in a Georgia public school system at the pre-school, elementary, middle or secondary level, because funding for the program was no longer available. These are just a couple among a plethora of issues that impact students.
Thomas Jefferson, a founding father and third president of the United States, once said, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.”
It is important for us to remember that because in order to understand what is happening and why it is happening, we must keep informed about our government structures and what happens in our community. It is easy to be turned away from politics because of the seriousness and, even more so, the dirtiness and mudslinging involved in campaigns. But it is important to refrain from turning frustration into apathy and apathy into ignorance.
Even though the election is a little less than six weeks away, the time to start really paying attention is now. Go research the candidates. Most have a variety of websites and social networking sites for voters to get plenty of information on the candidates. The great experiment in democracy known as America prides itself on many freedoms, including the right to vote. Exercise that right on Nov. 2, and have a say in the future direction of our governments.
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