Elections matter more than students think
Yard signs are popping up, debates are on and endless candidate commercials are airing on the radio and TV. It’s election season in Idaho.
Many students shrug off elections until they pass, like the symptoms of a cold. They believe voting has no affect on them and the workings of the state government have no real impact on their life. These students are wrong and will soon realize decisions by the state government have a major affect on their life.
Danielle Wiley
Students hoping to find jobs after college should be concerned about attempts to raise the minimum wage at our state capital. Some students may plan on starting a family after college and raising them in Idaho. They should worry about how Idaho’s government spends less money per child for education than nearly any other state in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Funding is so low that over 44 schools in Idaho have gone to a four-day school week, according to the Idaho government website.
Students who are part of minority groups should be concerned about how they are represented in our government when it comes to equal rights — such as Idaho’s recently lifted ban on same-sex marriage. Let’s not forget some past laws our government has tried to pass, like House Bill 427, which would have let business owners exercise so-called religious freedoms and protected business owners who chose to deny services based on those freedoms.
Students don’t realize the state government has a hand in everyone’s day-to-day life. They make decisions that directly affect UI, such as allowing concealed weapons on campus and university funding.
So this election season, it’s time students and other members of our generation start voting more than ever before.
According to researched data collected by National Public Radio, in 2013 the state population was split evenly between male and female, yet only 26 percent of Idaho’s legislators are female. The same research also found that the second largest part of the population is between the ages of 20 to 29 years old — the largest part comprised of 10 to 19 year olds. Despite the youthful demographics, 41 percent of Idaho legislators are between the ages of 60 to 69.
According to the Pew Research Center, in 2010 about 22.5 percent of the eligible voting population in Idaho was between the ages of 18 and 29, while only 16.1 percent of that population was 60 or older.
So why is it most of our generation sits back and lets the smaller population make major decisions? It’s not their future they are voting on, it’s ours. Decades later when they have passed, we’ll be dealing with the repercussions of their decisions.
If a large portion of students go out and vote this upcoming election, we could make a difference in our government. Registering to vote is easier than it seems and all the information you need is out there.
Everyone should check out idahovotes.gov, where you can find out how to register and where you can vote. Students should also download IdaVotes — a free app created by Holli Woodings –who is running for Idaho’s secretary of state — that gives voters everything they need to make educated decisions when choosing their candidates. The app takes the user’s voting registration information and gives them a list of all the candidates who will be presenton the ballot. You can click on each candidate and check out their website, Facebook page and Twitter account. Once you check out all of the candidates, you can add your favorite candidate onto your voting list. So when you head to the polls, you can have a list of those you want to vote for ready to go.
Let’s start a trend this election season and make our generation’s voice heard. It’s time we stop letting others make the big choices for us and take a stand for what we want to see happen in our state. This is our state, let’s vote and make it work for us.
Danielle Wiley can be reached at [email protected]