Tag: Election

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Voting this November

Article written by Matthew Uttaro (‘22).

One of the greatest rights afforded to Americans is the right to vote. It gives us the unique ability to hold those in government positions accountable to us, and it makes our voices as citizens powerful beyond our angry tweets and Instagram posts. We have the power to influence government action. Yet, even with this being the case, just over half of those eligible to vote actually do cast a ballot.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 61.4% of the eligible voting population exercised that right in the 2016 election. That means just under 200 million people voted in that election, compared to the total population of the United States that year, 323.1 million. How could the political landscape be different if even just one percent more voted on average?

One of the most common reasons people do not vote is that the process seems too hard. The process of getting registered, of making time in your day to go to your polling place, and making the constant effort of being knowledgeable of the issues seem to be too much alongside our everyday commitments. With the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it only gets harder. So why should you make the effort?

Voting is the manifestation of democracy in our country. It allows us to go above and beyond with our beliefs on issues, to make real, substantive change by electing those that we feel will fight for this change. You may view yourself as apolitical, or someone who doesn’t bother with politics at all; however, the case remains that you do something every day thanks to politics. If you are a commuter, you drove here today on a road that was made possible by a political decision. Regardless of your status as a student here, you most likely receive financial aid. The entire concept of student loans was born from a political decision.

Perhaps you are passionate about a specific issue. Maybe you are seeking to make the world a better place for people of all walks of life. While the government may be a key player in the issue you are seeking to address, it may also be the most effective avenue for change. Granted, voting once and doing nothing else may not grant the change you wish to make in the world, but combining it with activism towards that cause and voting every chance you get is most certainly a step in the right direction.

Indeed, the process of voting will be much different this election cycle due to the pandemic. The good news is that you can still vote safely and easily! You can do all things voting-related (besides the actual act of voting) online in New York State, including registering to vote, applying for an absentee ballot, and finding out your polling location. If you live out of state, a number of states have implemented voting reforms designed to make voting easier for this upcoming election. You can go to Vote.Org to find out more about how you can vote in your state.

On September 1, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new online absentee ballot application portal in which all registered voters can request their ballot in just a few minutes. This supplements the paper application system previously used in which voters had to print off a request form, fill it out, and mail it in to their local Board of Elections. In New York, an excuse is required when applying for an absentee ballot; if Houghton is not in the county you live in, you can check ‘absence from county on Election Day’ as your excuse. If you live within Allegany County and you would rather not vote in person due to worries about COVID-19, you can request an absentee ballot and check ‘temporary illness or physical disability.’ It is important to do this as soon as possible due to current delays with the United States Postal Service.

Another option is voting early. In New York, early voting begins on Saturday, October 24, and runs through Sunday, November 1. What this process allows you to do is to vote at your polling location in your home county before Election Day. What you need to do in order to vote early differs from county to county and of course in different states as well. New York residents can navigate to this website to learn more about early voting based on their county. If you live outside of New York, go to Vote.Org and select your state to find out your voting options.

The final option is to vote in person, as normal, on Election Day. This is most likely not feasible for many students who live outside of this county and/or live far away. Depending on where you live as well, there is a slightly higher risk voting in person on Election Day than it would be to vote by mail or to vote early, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. If you do vote in person, make sure you take the proper precautions and wear a mask as well as wash your hands often. Check with your local Board of Elections to find your polling location as well as when you can vote.

Are you voting in this year’s election? Why or why not? Comment below or get in touch with us via Instagram, Twitter, or email (editor@houghtonstar.com)!

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Opinions

Just What You Want to Hear

Since the election, the media has attracted new levels of criticism. Blame for the “surprise” election results has fallen on faulty polls and biased reporting from a highly politicized media. However, while the problems which have been highlighted by the media’s failure to report without prejudice are valid, it is important to examine the role which consumers have played in the degradation of the media.  

Photo by: Nate Moore
Photo by: Nate Moore

According to the Pew Research Center, forty-four percent of adult Americans rely solely on Facebook for their daily news. That means that almost half of Americans get all their news from memes, two-minute videos, and even websites like The Onion that are meant to be read satirically, but are often mistaken for fact. Our patience for solid reporting has dwindled as we become more and more willing to accept BuzzFeed listicles as fact or videos of the Clintons playing with balloons as a character reference. However, the blame for this issue cannot completely fall on the media. We must accept at least partial responsibility for this shift. The media reports on what people want to hear: it falls to the public to determine what kind of quality we look for in the news.

Additionally, exposure to a variety of issues is becoming increasingly rare, as news stories are now catered to the individual. Our Facebook newsfeeds, for example, are filled with news items the website’s algorithms have determined we are interested in. Furthermore, what’s “trending” on Facebook is filtered by a team of “news curators” who, according to a recent article published in Gizmodo, were routinely encouraged to suppress certain news items and promote others. In a given situation, our biases are easily confirmed because we are presented with information that either sooths our egos or gives us a sense of righteous indignation, depending on the situation. We are rarely confronted with issues we disagree with, and if we are, we can hide safely behind our computer screens as we lob insults and “facts” at our opponents in an attempt to educate or embarrass them. We are almost never confronted with the humanity of those we disagree with, nor with the legitimacy of their opinions.

rachelquoteIn this sense, we have all missed the mark terribly. Both the media and its consumers have allowed sensationalism, pettiness, and backbiting to become the norm in our daily news, and we have forgotten how to disagree civilly. Under such circumstances, it’s no wonder we have witnessed such a disgraceful campaign season. Each side bought into strawman arguments about the other simply because their newsfeeds told them they were true. There was little-to-no fact checking involved before hasty judgements were made. Trump’s supporters are not all homophobic racists, just as not all Clinton supporters are abortion-touting socialists.

My hope, moving forward, is to see both the media and our society as a whole moving toward real curiosity and openness. To do this, we must actually interact with each other; not simply through social media, but through sincere conversations that help us understand our similarities along with our differences. We can listen to each other’s fears, thoughts, and hopes whether or not we come to the same conclusions. We have been a polarized nation for too long, and the effects are taking an obvious toll. It is imperative that we listen to each other, deeply and without prejudice, in order for us to live peacefully with one another.

Rachel is a senior writing major.

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Opinions

Your Vote, Your Voice

Election season has become a monotonous time that typically has lacked the interest of many college students. But why? Why do students fail to exercise this Constitutional right as a United States citizen? Maybe it’s because students don’t think it affects them? Or perhaps they think their voice won’t be heard? Either way, when voting time comes, students remain unengaged and uninformed.

A statewide survey released by the California Voter Foundation (CVF) found that 23% of unregistered voters say they’re too busy to vote. While two-thirds of those surveyed noted that they didn’t turn out to vote because they believed that elections are controlled by special interest groups. In addition, the foundation found that 76% of nonvoters have no more than a high school diploma.
KatharineLebrecqueQuoteBased on a 2012 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, young adults have been found to vote more often in Presidential elections than in congressional election years. Voting rates have been historically low, especially between the ages of 18 and 24, since 1964. However, within recent years, voting-turnout rates among young adults have seen a dramatic increase. It appears that students are often drawn to particular parties based on single issues or interests. For example many individuals, and not solely students, are attracted to parties that have issues on their agenda such as climate change, the economy and social welfare, and bioethics.

Yet despite these daunting facts, voting is arguably one of the most important civic opportunities available to United States citizens.  Voting does matter. Not just in presidential elections, but in local and state elections. Elected individuals represent the interests of the people. Our country was formed on the premise that we were to have a government “for the people [and] by the people.” We have a civic responsibility to exercise this right. You have a voice. You have a vote.

Alexander Buska, a senior political science major encourages students: “Vote local. Elected officials only respond to those who vote. State and town officials will be much more interested in what you have to say, and better able to accurately represent your point of view. Look at how they came out to Houghton for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex – they are plenty interested in what is going on.”

 

Moreover, these decisions and legislations made at the local, state, and federal level have a major impact on our lives. When asked, “Why don’t you vote?” responses included: “I’ll care when I pay my own bills,” or “I’ll register [to vote] eventually when I settle down.” The problem with waiting is

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that your vote counts now. Voting on elected officials affects not just the present, but the future. Your voice matters. Your vote matters, and it matters now.

So when is your next opportunity to vote? Midterm elections are November 4. You can pick up registration forms at your local county elections office, post office, library, DMV, or print out a registration form online at your state and local board of elections website. Also, be sure to request an Absentee Ballot. This can be requested by state for midterm elections at www.yourvoteyourvoice.org.