Political activist groups enliven student voters

November midterm elections are right around the corner, and students are making a decision on whether or not to go the polls.

An estimated 44 million people between ages 18 to 29 were eligible to vote in 2008, according to Rock the Vote.

But not all those eligible choose to exercise that right each time election an season rolls around.

“I did not plan on voting simply because I don’t know much about it,” sophomore Mignon Ramsey said. “I haven’t followed this election like I did the last, and I only followed that one because it was a major election, a presidential election.”

According to IU’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, an estimated 23 million voters under the age of 30 voted during the 2008 election, raising the turnout rate to at least 52 percent.

Despite the increase, some are afraid young voters will not turn out in a midterm election.

“If you look at polling statistics from election to election, midterm elections generally have a lower turnout than presidential elections,” said senior Eryne Richards “This is also true for young voters.”

Richards, the communications director for IU College Democrats, has been working with the organization to make sure students are at the polls this election.

“IU Democrats have been holding events to encourage early voting since it was available the first week of October,” Richards said. “Next week we’ll be finishing up with a big get out the vote presence on campus and shuttling people to the Curry building where early voting takes place.”

Fifty-eight percent of young voters are paying attention to the upcoming election and to issues that affect their pockets, according to a poll by Rock the Vote.

“One of the biggest issues in this election is the economy and how it’s been affected by the Obama administration’s policies and the legislation of a Democratic Congress,” said junior Tara Fleming, press secretary for the IU College Republicans. “The only way we can fix the economy is through drastic change, and that means electing fiscally conservative leaders and ousting ineffective ones this November.”

Fleming said it’s important for young people to vote because they have a large chance to affect every level of government.

“It’s so important for young voters to vote in this midterm election because we need to stay active and involved, even during election cycles that do not generate the same enthusiasm as an election like 2008,” Fleming said.

IU College Republicans has been making strides to ensure young voters know the importance of voting in mid-term elections.

“We make a point of reminding members how much each and every vote matters, so we hope that emphasizing this for the past few weeks will motivate everyone to get out and make themselves heard on election day,” Fleming said.