October Editorial

The Nov. 2 election is days away and, not surprisingly but certainly regrettably, many students on campus are clueless as to what the issues are and undecided about which candidates will get their vote. There have been massive waves of voter registration on this campus and that’s great. But registering is only half the battle. We need to be informed, so that we’re confident with our candidate selections and so that our presence at the polls is felt. There have been three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate. Cate Edwards, daughter of democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. John Edwards, was on WSSU’s campus discussing how college students will benefit if her father is elected. If you don’t watch debates or, for some reason, don’t like watching the news, then maybe you saw John Kerry during an interview on BET. This may have proved to be the most important election of our generation –the hip hop generation — and there are still students who haven’t an inkling of awareness on the presidential race. Statistics already show that we (18-35 year olds) don’t show up to vote. This campus, all campuses, is a part of the hip-hop movement which encompasses 40 million people. That number adds up to more than the membership of the National Rifle Association and the American Association of Retired Persons combined – President George W. Bush’s target audience, yet we are not the candidate’s main focus because his administration doesn’t have to worry about us voting. Think about it; many in our generation are getting tongue rings before they get voter registration cards. There are too many of us not to unite to make a change. The decision we make on November 2nd (or before) will mostly effect us, so why not try to ensure that we have somebody representing us and our needs? In the last election, 48.3 million women didn’t vote. We need to vote, and even more importantly, we need to be politically aware. Politics affects all of our lives. What about those of us who are of draft age? Reportedly, Bush is pushing a bill which could lead to a draft by spring of next year. He denies it, but what if there’s a grain of truth in the reports. And what about healthcare? Financial aid for college students? If you’ve got a rebellious spirit, then vote. Stand up and let your vote be counted. If your education is not reason enough, if your health is not reason enough reason, if the nearly 1,200 dead American soldiers (and American civilians) in Iraq is not reason enough for you to vote, then what is? Trick Daddy has been working with P. Diddy’s “Vote or Die” (Citizen Change) campaign, trying to encourage people to vote in Florida and ensure that what happened four years ago, does not repeat itself. He is not able to vote because he is a convicted felon. But his message to young people like us is that his vote is one less that will be counted, so if you don’t vote for anything else, “Do it for me,” he said. If you would like to read up on the presidential candidates, you can do so at mtv.com/chooserloose/.