Juanita Allen registering voters
By Thomas Shafer
The Presidential Election of 2012 has shown a decrease in the amount of student voters, down from a high in 2008. President Barack Obama and his opponent Mitt Romney have been hitting battleground states hard, focusing on student voters. In the 2008 election only 43 percent of students aged 19-24 voted in the presidential election. In November Barack Obama and Mitt Romney hope to make that number rise, knowing that in an election this tight every vote counts. When asked why students don’t vote, CSN student Sidney Romero replied, “Some kids have no knowledge of the election, and they don’t know how it will benefit them.”
Students around campus seem to think that their votes won’t make that much of a difference, which is keeping them away from the voting polls. With Nevada being a battleground state, President Barack Obama has visited many times this year hoping to inspire young students to get out and cast their votes. The 2008 election had the highest student turnout since Richard Nixon was president in 1972.
This election however is turning out slightly different. With low support from Independents on both sides of the issue, low student turnout at the poles is very possible. CSN student Michael Straub commented on this issue, “A lot of people don’t like Mitt Romney and what he stands for, and a lot of people have given up on the hope and change that Barack Obama has been talking about for four years.”
Registering for an election has never been easier, and that’s not the problem this time around. The problem seems to be that students are tired of being shortchanged by government, and would rather give no voice, than to have a voice that goes unheard. This election is pivotal for both candidates and this country; however, some students feel that no matter who gets elected, the things they want to see get done will be left unfinished.
Coyote Student News at the College of Southern Nevada 