With the Nov. 6 midterm elections looming over the country, some professors are approaching the voting issue by educating students on how voting is what keeps democracy alive.
“I use the classroom as a forum to discuss the importance of the vote,” said Todd Shaw, head of the political science department. “Definitely do not tell them who to vote for, but I encourage them to exercise that right.”
Shaw is not the only professor at USC teaching students about the importance of voting in a unique way. Law school professor Derek Black spoke at the TEDxUofSC event on Oct. 9 to raise awareness to the problem of students not being educated to vote responsibly due to a decline in the public education system.
“We need to invest in our public education systems and to make sure they’re teaching the skills that folks need to be effective citizens so that when they go to the ballot box they can exercise that ballot intelligently,” Black said.
The checks and balances keeping each branch of local, state and national government are at risk, according to Black. The congressional races will determine which party has the majority for the remainder of President Trump’s term which then affects the ease with which legislation is passed. The outcome of the midterm elections could also reflect the 2020 presidential campaign.
“There’s a tremendous amount on the line in terms of checks and balances,” Black said. “Will congress be a co-equal branch of government or will the executive branch be given carte blanche to do whatever it wants?”
Coming from a university professor perspective, both Black and Shaw vote with the issue of education at the forefront. Black believes the officials voted into office will dictate how affordable college is to students through how much they are required to pay in student loans.
“I do believe that public education is the foundation of our democracy,” Black said. “I believe that ... the ability to get a decent higher education at a price you can afford is also key to the American Dream.”
Shaw’s political science students often discuss voting and elections throughout the semesters, regardless of whether it is an election year. He chose to educate students on the mechanics of voting so they had a greater appreciation for their constitutional right. This included discussions on how to register, what the process is in South Carolina and the current and historical barriers to voting.
“We get into debates and controversies around ‘Is it vote suppression or is it voter fraud?’ So I think insights about that, let them make up their own minds, but you sort of have sort of healthy discussions about that,” Shaw said.
Even though students often do not relate to issues concerning property taxes, social security and healthcare, Black believes students are knowledgeable about issues that are facing modern society and involve legislation. However, he hopes to take students, and society, deeper so they can make more informed decisions at the polling places.
“One of the things that I focus on is not sort of whether people keep the issues but whether they understand the issues which is different. To what extent is one being critical about the information that one is getting?” Black said. “We’ve got to spend a lot more time looking for sources and reports and information that we can trust, not just stories that we like.”
Regardless of political views, the right to vote is a constitutional right for American citizens that these university professors hope students will exercise through absentee voting or taking the university holiday to cast their ballots.
“I know it sounds like a broken record from us old people ... but there is no more important right in a democracy for citizens than to vote,” Shaw said. “Being able to decide who will be those in government representing you is critically important.”