Apparent lack of progress discourages youth vote

Nov 2 2009 - 11:49pm | Tristan Watson

Getting students to register for elections has always been a problem, and getting them to vote has been an even bigger hurdle.
Society cannot ascribe lethargic behavior as a reason for young adults not registering or voting. There are other causes for why students don’t vote.

Maybe students feel it’s not worth the time and their vote doesn’t matter. Some probably feel the issues don’t affect them.

Last week was the end of early voting for those who took an interest in choosing City Council members and the proposed amendments. The voter turnout was low, but this should have been expected. Non-presidential elections usually don’t generate an abundance of voters.
ASG President Chris Covo can provide excuses for why students didn’t register or vote. The fact remains people feel city issues or electing city representatives are not vital enough to vote on.

“The student government did not arrange an early voter registration drive like in years past because of midterms and other obligations,” Covo said. “Voter fatigue is often the reason for the low outcome.”

People may not feel strongly about city issues, but candidates need to carry out their plans for San Marcos. They don’t need to give residents political nonsense for a vote. If sufficient changes were noticeable in the City of San Marcos maybe people would be more willing to take time and vote during elections.

Students and residents listen to these candidates talk about implementing changes, which are sometimes hard to find.

John Thomaides is the only incumbent running for City Council. He expressed his concern about making San Marcos more bicycle and pedestrian friendly in a recently filmed interview. He is working on getting higher paying jobs, and focusing on the downtown redevelopment.
These issues are nothing new and may be one possible reason people didn’t register, vote early, or chose not to vote.

If people are looking for an answer for why young adults don’t take an interest in voting, one possible answer is it can be hard to see the progress our elected officials are making.

Individuals would be willing to vote in city elections if they saw changes and improvements.

Mandy Domaschk, College Democrats president, said she “wishes ASG and the College Republicans were more proactive in influencing students to register.”

I disagree with this statement. Why should ASG and the College Republicans have to be influential in getting students to register? If students really wanted to vote, they would.

Last year’s presidential election produced record-breaking numbers of young voters. Students at Texas State and residents of San Marcos will take an active interest in issues that matter to or affect them.

Some people are indifferent when it comes to city elections.

It’s the candidates’ responsibility to attract youth voters by producing changes.

—Tristan Watson is a political science junior

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