Editorial: Students, vote today

As everyone who is not living under a rock should know, today is Election Day. It might seem like the only incentive to wait in line and make difficult decisions is a sticker and the minor reward of flexing your rights muscles, but we at The Pitt News believe that everyone who is eligible and registered should vote today.

A lot of people decline to vote because they argue that they, as individuals, have little real influence on elections. We think that those who are eligible should always vote when they can, and it’s especially important this year because Pennsylvania is a swing state, and individual ballots could influence the state’s stance in the Electoral College. Also, people have the chance to effect change at the state level by participating in the elections of less-heavily-publicized positions, such as state treasurer or attorney general, where individual ballots can make more of an impact. Students are also more likely to be directly affected by these elections because some of these positions, such as auditor general, directly affect educational policy in Pennsylvania.

Also, some people decide not to vote because they do not support either major party presidential candidate. Although many people say that selecting a third-party candidate is a waste of a vote, we believe that a true waste is one that is not cast at all. We think that students should not hesitate to choose a third-party candidate. A third-party candidate cannot realistically win the election, but in a close race, enough votes for one could change the outcome of a swing state — such as Pennsylvania.

We also think that something that often holds back students from voting is the idea that those who are uninformed shouldn’t participate in choosing people to serve in government. No student at Pitt is as well-versed on the intricacies of policy as, say, a professor in political science. But we think that most students at Pitt are aware enough about the issues surrounding the election that they have a reasonably well-informed opinion. Even through exposure to politics via social media and casual conversation with classmates, friends and professors, most students probably have at least one issue that they can intelligently take a stance on. We urge students to cast a vote, even if they think they’re less informed than they should be. A democracy functions based on the opinions and wishes of the masses, not of the small percentage that is extremely informed about politics.

Another reason why we think that students should vote today is because it sometimes seems like politicians are not as receptive to the opinions of college students as they could be. This can change if more students are politically active and aware. College students have a historically low voting rate, and if more students participated in democracy, politicians might be more willing to consider the needs of students and 20-somethings.

Don’t let a busy schedule or an extra-long nap hold you back. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today.