Vote Tuesday and reverse apathetic trend
In last November’s election, Rice students put the “pathetic” in “apathetic.” A mere 263 of about 1400 students registered to vote at the Rice Memorial Center showed up to the booths. That 19 percent turnout rate was only one point higher than Harris County’s 18 percent.
Granted, some would say the stakes were not as high in last year’s local and state issues as in this year’s midterm elections. Proposition 2, the Texas constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, was the most hyped 2005 ballot item in an election that featured a mayoral race with no major challengers. But if gay marriage, an issue particularly resonant with our generation, could not motivate students to vote, something is wrong.
Tuesday is voting day, and with convenient on-campus booths available, we hope Rice students show that they actually care about what’s going on in the world. On Wednesday, Harvard University’s Institute of Politics released a national poll showing 32 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds “definitely” intend to vote — which indicates that our demographic is prepped for its highest turnout rate in a midterm election in 25 years. Will Rice students be part of that trend? We hope so.
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