After months of intense campaigning and heated debates, Election Day this year brought more than a close race between democrats and republicans. While booths across the nation faced problems with electronic voting, UB was hit with a much more serious dilemma - apathy.
According to Joseph Wisnet, an official working the polls in the Student Union, there were approximately 1,300 campus residents registered to vote at UB this past Tuesday, but at closing time only 77 - approximately six percent of registered voters - had cast their ballots.
"This year's turnout is pretty good, we only had 42 people last year," Wisnet said.
For some not registered in Buffalo, the need to obtain an absentee ballot prior to voting proved to be an issue.
Elizabeth Brown, a junior communication major, said she was knowledgeable about the candidates in this year's election and planned on voting, but forgot to get an absentee ballot.
Wisnet agreed that the need to obtain an absentee ballot was a considerable cause for lack of student participation.
"There are students from Long Island and other parts of the state, and they're registered there but they think that means they can vote anywhere in New York, and they can't," he said.
Other students didn't know there were alternatives to voting at home.
"I would vote, but it's a 45 minute drive for me," said Loretta Muntz, a junior nursing major. "I didn't know you can vote in the Union."
However, many agreed a lack of advertising on campus was a considerable factor in ignorance about the election.
"I haven't seen anything around campus about the election. A girl in my class stood up and said elections were going on today, but that's all I've heard," said Kristen Shuart, a junior psychology major. "I walk through the hallways a lot and I stop and look at the fliers in the glass cases and stuff, but I haven't seen anything about it."
Benjamin Moeller, a senior physics major, also said he noticed a lack of announcements on campus for voting.
"I haven't seen anything around campus, I went online and looked it up," he said. "There was something about it on MyUB, but that's all I've seen. I'm usually only in the physics building though."
Moeller, who obtained an absentee ballot to vote, said he didn't know of many other people participating in this year's election.
"I think most people think that it doesn't matter because New York is democratic anyways," he said. "I'm the only person I know of who's voting, except for maybe one or two of my friends."
