OPINION & EDITORIAL
We must exercise our 26th Amendment rights
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Also by David Presberry:
- We must exercise our 26th Amendment rights (February 26, 2002)
Related Stories:
- Can the United States unite? (September 14, 2001)
- States deny voting rights for felons (September 19, 2005)
- Judicial activism continues to damage constitutional rights (September 4, 2003)
- U.S. not above the law (February 4, 2002)
- Hypocritical amendment (December 8, 2005)
by David Presberry
Tuesday, February 26, 2002
The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age.
Last Tuesday as I was heading off to class, I asked several friends whether they were going to vote in the special aldermanic primary in District 5. I received a variety of responses:
“How does a city council election affect me? Everything I need UW-Madison takes care of for me.”
“I vote at home and I don’t want to cancel my voter registration there.”
“I’m too busy to walk to the polls.”
“Well, I don’t know the candidates.”
“I don’t care. It doesn’t make a difference who’s elected.”
I became quite depressed when I went to vote at 2:30 p.m., only to find out I was the first voter in my ward, which comprises some of the Lakeshore dorms. In all, only seven students decided to vote in my ward Tuesday.
The dearth of participation last Tuesday proved yet again students are taking their 26th Amendment for granted. As students, we must remember that about three decades ago, we had no right to vote at all. Since the passage of the amendment in 1971, students have ranked last in voter turnout. Especially in Madison, where one out of every five people is a student, the 26th Amendment is wilting due to the lack of participation.
Politicians ignore students because students do not vote. Feeling ignored and not wanted, students refuse to participate in elections for these politicians. In order to break the vicious apathy cycle, students must vote. Until then, we will continue to be ignored.
As for students’ excuses for not voting, they are weak and worthless under scrutiny. Understandably, students are busy and have many things to do; however, occupation or ignorance of issues is not an excuse for lack of participation. It takes no more than 10 minutes to vote on this campus.
In addition, unless you like being ignored, not caring about the candidates does not work either. Someone must be elected to a seat, and sometimes you have to choose between the lesser of two (or three, four, etc.) evils.
Don’t know the candidates? In all elections in Dane County, I know the League of Women Voters surveys all candidates. In addition, general media outlets provide information about who is running and for what she or he stands.
Vote at “home?” Students spend at least nine months a year in the city of Madison. Why should students not be involved in the decisions that affect them daily? Not casting a vote in Madison is saying you do not care about local issues in your student community.
Remember, the City Councils of Milwaukee or Minneapolis are not going to decide whether State Street needs to be redesigned or where a new parking ramp is going to go downtown or whether Elizabeth Link Peace Park deserves a carousel.
Furthermore, students who have more time or who care greatly about a particular issue should further enhance the 26th Amendment by serving on a city committee. City Council and the various boards and committees of the city of Madison dictate policy that affects everyone. Policy ranging from public safety to housing regulations, from affirmative action to vending machine licenses affects everyone in the city.
Remember, there are countries where people are dying (literally) to vote or to determine the livelihood of their fellow neighbors. As students in America, it is our patriotic duty to become involved in civic affairs. The 26th Amendment, in its sacredness, needs to be exercised to the fullest extent. Not choosing to do so just might lead to the roads of a dictatorship.
David Presberry(dbpresberry@students.wisc.edu) is a sophomore majoring in political science. He also sits on the City of Madison’s Equal Opportunities Commission.
