Election day for the midterm elections on Nov. 6 is rapidly approaching, and students from different political groups on campus are encouraging their fellow students to get out and vote for what they believe in.
According to Logan Martin, a third-year psychology student and president of the College Democrats, the College Democrats, College Libertarians and the College Republicans teamed up with the Leadership and Service Student and registered over 500 students in their respective states. He emphasized the power that students have in the upcoming elections.
“We as college students, we can be one of the biggest voting blocks in elections, but campaigns don’t really consider that because we don’t go out and vote,” Martin said. “But really, if we were all to vote, we could decide an election.”
He emphasized the strong influence students could potentially have on the outcome of the elections.
“I think that it’s important for college students especially to get out and vote because that’s really where our power is. It’s not in money, and it’s not really in volunteer time,” Martin said. “If we vote, then people really have to pay attention to us.”
Jacob Vining, a third-year biology student and president of the College Republicans, goes out and helps campaign for the candidates and politicians he feels most represents his values. He hopes that he and the members of his organization will have an impact on the elections.
“Politics are local, and we feel like we can get involved with local campaigns and help, especially at the state level,” Vining said. “I think it’s the most patriotic thing you could do, is go vote.”
Bryce Wilson, the president of the College Libertarians and a third-year history and political science student, wants to see students educate themselves about candidates before heading to the polls.
“I think it’s important for educated students and educated people in general to vote,” Wilson said. “You don’t have to be a political savvy guy, but at least you kind of know what you’re voting for.”
Wilson hopes that by educating themselves, students will be able to vote for candidates whose policies best represent their interests, instead of just voting by what party the candidates represent to ensure the best representation for upcoming legislation.
“This can determine the legislation for the next 2 to 4 years depending on how these go, so just make sure that you recognize that this is important,” Wilson said.
The Young Democratic Socialists could not be reached for comment.