The College-Aged Demographic Underrepresented in Politics

\tOn Nov. 5, U.S. citizens will have the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote by going to their respective polling places and voting for the candidate they feel is best suited for the job. Unfortunately, most of the citizens that are going to vote will be senior citizens.
\tVoters in Erie County will vote for NYS Senate and Assembly members, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General, and Erie County Court and Family Court Judge.
\tOThe thing that frustrates me the most is the lack of participation from college students,O said Gayle Syposs, the assistant deputy commissioner at the Erie County Board of Elections. OThe group that votes the most are senior citizens, and the group that votes the least are the 18 to 25-year olds.O
\tStudent Association Vice President Jennifer Brace attributes the lack of college-aged voter population to the fact that many students are not from the areas in which they go to school.
\t OPeople in our age range are least registered to vote,O said Brace, a senior business major. OI think a lot of students donOt vote because theyOre not from here.O
\tAccording to Syposs, when students do not vote, they allow politicians to ignore the concerns and needs of that demographic and focus, instead, on pleasing citizens who will vote for them.
\tOWhen the officials donOt see 18 to 25- year olds vote, itOs easy to ignore what they have to say,O said Syposs. OWhat politicians do is they buy lists of voters from us and target those groups of people who vote.O
\tSyposs suggests voting even if you are only interested in one political office or candidate.
\tOGo and vote for him or her so that it shows on our lists that an 18 to 25-year old has voted,O he said.
\tAssistant Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Beth Del Genio said students should ask themselves, OWhat type of responsibilities do we have as being a part of a democracy?O
\tOOur responsibilities are to be informed, to have an understanding, to be able to sit among diverse voices and determine how weOre going to make meaningful contributions,O she said. OVoting is a mechanism that embodies all of these things.O
\tDespite the trend, Sara Mir, a freshman in the School of Dental Medicine, said she is definitely going to vote in this yearOs election.
\tOIOm now in the process of calling up the candidates and asking them how they stand on issues that concern me, like increasing financial aid to students who need it and increasing state aid to the schools in Buffalo who need it,O she said.
\tThe voter registration deadline is Oct. 11 and all registration forms must be postmarked by that day. Registration forms can be obtained from the Erie County Board of Elections. The general information phone number is 858-8891.
\tAbsentee ballot applications must be postmarked by Oct. 29. Absentee ballot applications can be obtained through county-specific Board of Elections. The absentee ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4.
\tFor more information on the party platforms, who the candidates are and where they stand on certain issues visit the Board of ElectionsO Web site at http://www.elections.state.ny.us.