To Vote or not to vote?

As voters head to the polls today in the seven states holding primaries, Tufts students from those states are faced with the decision of whether or not to vote.

For college students, voting takes more effort than simply walking down the street to the local polling station. Unless they live close by, students must obtain absentee ballots. Even more time is consumed researching issues and candidates.

Voting in the primaries also raises the issue of political party affiliation. "I'm not voting because I don't belong to a party," junior Neil Hirsch said. "I strongly do not believe in belonging to a political party."

Belonging to a political party does not necessarily result in voting, however. Many students feel uninformed about how and where to obtain an absentee ballot. "I think it's important and I'd like to vote but I don't have a ballot and don't know where to get one," senior Rachel Narrow said.

"In college, it's a hassle to get an absentee ballot," Hirsch said. "Last year I didn't vote in the election because I didn't get my absentee ballot in time."

Those students who live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire have the option to vote in person. Junior Jen Gehling drove home to vote in last week's New Hampshire primary. Although she said that living close made it easier for her to vote in person, living far away would not have stopped her from voting. "I believe it is my right as a citizen of the U.S. and my civic duty [to vote]," she said. "I would have gotten an absentee ballot."

While students have the option of registering to vote in Massachusetts when they arrive at Tufts, many choose to stay registered in their home states and vote by absentee ballot. "I am going to vote by absentee ballot," senior Melissa Frankel said. "Ohio is a swing state and I want to keep voting there because my vote is more important."

Few college students vote. According to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), only 42 percent of citizens 18 to 24 years old voted in the 2000 election, while 70 percent of those citizens over 25 did.

Many organizations exist to change these statistics, including MTV's Rock the Vote and Youth Vote. These organizations sponsor "Get Out the Vote" campaigns, give students information on how to register, and help young people obtain absentee ballots.

The field site of Youth Vote in Boston sponsors "Dunk-the-Vote" basketball tournaments and hosts speakers about public policy and student engagement. The coalition also works to register voters on college campuses and at events such as CollegeFest.

Time is also a consideration for students. "People just forget and don't make it enough of a priority," Gehling said. "They think their vote won't matter."

In order to make informed decisions, students also need to do research on the candidates. "From my own experience and those of my friends, people are so busy," Narrow said. "As sad as it is, there's not enough time to research issues and learn about them."

A study from CIRCLE found that asking a young person to vote through personal contact increases the likelihood that they will vote. However, some are skeptical of current tactics groups use to increase youth voting.

"The Get out the Vote campaign doesn't reach people our age," Frankel said. "We're a harder group of people to reach and it's much easier to reach a less transient population."

There is some promising news for advocates of youth voting. According to polls taken during the Iowa caucuses and reported by Rock the Vote, 17 percent of those who attended the caucuses were between the ages of 17 and 29, a six percent increase from four years ago.

While some students agree with the generalization that college students are apathetic and do not care about politics, others disagree.

"You can't generalize about the entire young population," Narrow said. "Some people are apathetic, some are very interested, and some don't care and don't know how to make a difference or don't have the time even though they want to."