Students no-show in election

Was it the rain, the lack of knowledge, or just plain laziness that kept students away from the polls Tuesday?\n"People didn't know they could vote here or get an absentee ballot, and many people just don't care," freshman Amanda Larson said. \nLarson, a strong Republican, voted and said she is happy with the outcome. \n"I think it is a duty of ours as citizens," she said. "If we are old enough we should state our opinions."\nSophomore Kate Murphy said she was disappointed by the low turnout of student voters.\n"People get worked up about going to war and about things that are going on in the political arena but no one seems to care about who is making these decisions or who is in charge," she said.\nIt's true many college students don't care about the issues surrounding an election. They don't take the time to research important issues, she said. \n"I did know it was for control over the senate," sophomore Brent Mackey said. "But I don't think that if I am ignorant in that area that I should vote."\nMany students said they did not know where to register or how to get absentee ballots. Residence halls left registration forms in mailboxes, and some high schools sent out absentee ballots for college students away from home. But for those students who did not have registration come to their door, they were not willing to go register on their own.\n"That's more trouble than I am willing to go through for something I don't really know about," Mackey said.\nMackey and Larson agreed some students do not think their vote matters, and many think the only election that is important is the presidential election.\n"If students did understand the issues, they didn't understand why it mattered," Mackey said.\nWhat is the biggest reason students did not vote? \nLaziness. \nSophomore Mark Bland did not make it out to the polls, but is upset that students don't take advantage of the right to vote.\n"It's a basic freedom that we have fought for, and we would rather nap," he said. "I was one of those people, and I am getting on myself."\nLarson said everyone should be registered and get used to voting.\n"We should get in good habits now because when the big elections come people aren't going to be registered or know what to do," she said.