2008 Woodie Awards
Letter: Students apathetic toward political process, elections
Issue date: 12/6/07 Section: Editorial/Opinion
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12/06/07 - To the Cigar,
Despite the potential to have been a very productive event, Roberts Auditorium at Rhode Island College was a disheartening scene in the scheme of youth involvement with the highly controversial and extremely important upcoming presidential elections.
RIC hosted a primary campaign rally in conjunction with the Secretary of State's office and the Rhode Island Board of Elections, in attempts to motivate and inform the youth of Rhode Island to learn and develop individual opinions about the presidential candidates.
Each 2008 candidate had a representative speak to the audience on their behalf, and inform the public of their campaignstrategies and intentions.
Looking around Rogers Auditorium, it would be generous to say that there were maybe 50 college students in attendance, including the small group of us from University of Rhode Island's College Republicans in attendance to demonstrate support for Gov. Mitt Romney.
It is a shame that such a proactive and well-intended event had such a shockingly small turnout. While Rhode Island's voter percentage may seem insignificant in the scheme of this nation's statistics as a whole, this very instance is a perfect portrayal of our generation's lack of ambition and interest in helping to mold our future as American citizens.
Some of the most important political issues that these candidates are campaigning are issues that directly affect the future of the youth of today. We face the imminent threat of diminishing Social Security funds, inaccessibility of affordable and effective health care, and other issues that do not pertain particularly to the older age bracket of American society, the baby boomer generation, but to us.
While threatening issues such as these are quite recent and continue to pose a more detrimental effect on our future, why is it then that since our age bracket has been given the right to vote, youth voting percentages have significantly decreased?
Despite the potential to have been a very productive event, Roberts Auditorium at Rhode Island College was a disheartening scene in the scheme of youth involvement with the highly controversial and extremely important upcoming presidential elections.
RIC hosted a primary campaign rally in conjunction with the Secretary of State's office and the Rhode Island Board of Elections, in attempts to motivate and inform the youth of Rhode Island to learn and develop individual opinions about the presidential candidates.
Each 2008 candidate had a representative speak to the audience on their behalf, and inform the public of their campaignstrategies and intentions.
Looking around Rogers Auditorium, it would be generous to say that there were maybe 50 college students in attendance, including the small group of us from University of Rhode Island's College Republicans in attendance to demonstrate support for Gov. Mitt Romney.
It is a shame that such a proactive and well-intended event had such a shockingly small turnout. While Rhode Island's voter percentage may seem insignificant in the scheme of this nation's statistics as a whole, this very instance is a perfect portrayal of our generation's lack of ambition and interest in helping to mold our future as American citizens.
Some of the most important political issues that these candidates are campaigning are issues that directly affect the future of the youth of today. We face the imminent threat of diminishing Social Security funds, inaccessibility of affordable and effective health care, and other issues that do not pertain particularly to the older age bracket of American society, the baby boomer generation, but to us.
While threatening issues such as these are quite recent and continue to pose a more detrimental effect on our future, why is it then that since our age bracket has been given the right to vote, youth voting percentages have significantly decreased?