Students Plan to Vote, Because They Can

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State students plan to vote this election, and some for the second time, but students were found to be uninformed about candidates and issues.  


“I wouldn’t necessarily say that I would be qualified, but I have the right to vote so I’m going to use [it],” said Sophomore Deepal Patel who is majoring in Finance. He’s registered Democrat and said he joined the Democratic Party because of his parents who vote on the regular basis. And when his friends sit around arguing the issues, he just zones out. 

Patel is a typical example of the current Penn State student voter: uninformed, careless, unenthused, but voting.  Though there are a few more months to decide an opinion on certain issues, other students have also reported similar reasons for voting.

Megan Peiffer, a Bio-behavioral Health major, said she’s voting, “…Because I can. I would be mad if I couldn’t…since I can; I will,” even though she said she knows nothing about the recent campaigns or the primaries.

For the past few months Republican candidate Mitt Romney has dominated the Republican primaries, and has tackled issues that could potentially affect college students like college funding and student loan reform. But the way things are going Penn State students may not be informed enough to make educated decisions.

With Rick Santorum, a Penn Sate alum, and Newt Gingrich lagging far behind Romney, he will likely be Barack Obama’s Republican opponent in November.

And students are aware of that. They are aware of Romney as close competition against Barack Obama and are planning to vote, some for the first time, but when asked about certain issues or even why they are voting there is no preparation of thought.

“Come election time I will probably be more focused,” said Alexandra Adeshile, a junior majoring in Biology. She went on to explain that her parents always vote. “Every year even for the smallest little community elections they vote,” she said. With her family as a backbone, no matter the amount of information she has about the candidates this year she is voting, too.

What is the solution? How should students be voting and are there any information sessions on campus or voting clubs for them to takes advantage of?

Yes, there are several political party groups on campus: The College Democrats, The College Republicans, The College Libertarians, and The College Independents. Some could take time to actively inform the student body voters and educate an uninformed population who plan to vote without the tools they need to do it responsibly.

22-year-old Erica Drayer, senior in bio-behavioral health who voted in the last presidential election will and who will be voting Republican this year said it’s important for college students to vote because, “I feel like we are the majority right now.” And the issues that most concern her right now are health care and taxes because she will soon be in the workforce. 

Cynthia Hill is a Junior in the College of Communications at The Pennsylvania State University, majors in Journalism and plans to graduate May 2013. She can be contacted at crh246@psu.edu.