Youth Voting

By Laura O'Malley

Image: Ben Sargent via http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/?p=6701

With students in college already finding themselves with such a busy schedule, they say that voting does not seem to be valuable enough to take the time to do

Marissa Tofuri, a junior at Providence College says "If I am home I'll go vote with my parents, but I am not going to make an effort if I'm at school."

"It's not that important to me, I do not really like politics, it is definitely not a priority," she said.

She said she believes that the process of actually voting would be easy because she would go with her parents, although she still does not think she will end up voting in the next election.

An article by Thomas File, Young Adult Voting: An Analysis of PresidentialElections 1964-2012,  notes that  "overall younger Americans have consistently under voted at the polls relative to their eligibility."

The article points out young voters have seemed to drop in their numbers at the voting polls, though "In contrast to the young voters, in recent presidential elections, Americans 65 years of age and older have typically had the voting rates higher then all the other age groups."

Kerri Neiland a student at the Massachusetts College of Health and Science won't be voting.

 She said "I'm not really interested in voting. Not that I don't care just it's not a priority for me right now, I just want to focus on school because I am so busy with that," she said.

"I will probably vote when I am out of school." she said.

Catherine Harder-Bernier, the Town Clerk Official in the town of Hanover, Massachusetts said she sees a drop in young voters.

 "I think that the turn out of young voters is actually declining, I see nothing but a reduction in the number of young voters." she said.

 "It's honestly very disheartening and I am frustrated, this needs to change," she said. 

College students also may be out of state.

Troy Bridson, a sophomore at Cornell University said, "I live out if state and do not care to fill out an absentee ballot,"

An absentee ballot to many college student seems like a difficult process.

 "I will vote in future elections when I am back in my home state, but I do not think it is worth the absentee ballot." he said.

Bailey Lyons a students at Qunnipiac University shared her opinion on voting. "I probably won't do an absentee ballot, it seems like a lot of work." she said.

She does not think she will vote in the next election because she does not think she knows enough about politics. 

Taryn Chrysikos of the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, said she is going to vote.

 "I am going to vote because I can and I am registered and it is a privilege," she said.

"My mom said she would pick me up and vote with me in my hometown at the elementary school, but if not I will do an absentee ballot," she said.

"If I do an absentee voting it might be harder and more stressful," she said.