With Halloween just around the corner, many U students will undoubtedly be exercising their right to act like children again by donning masks and wearing colorful costumes while partying the night away with tricks and treats. However, once the costumes have been put away, it’s time for students to start thinking about exercising their right to vote by participating in the upcoming local elections on November 4th.
In a recent interview, Saratoga Springs mayor Mia Love, who is running for Congress in Utah’s 4th district, spoke about the importance of students getting out to the ballots and casting a vote for their own future and the future of their children.
“The decisions made in Congress today have a tremendous impact on your generation. That’s why it’s vital that students get involved and make their voices heard,” Love said. “Take, for example, the national debt, which sits at nearly $18 trillion. The interest on that debt is substantial, and unfortunately if nothing is done to address the debt now, your generation and your children’s generation will be the ones who have to pay for it.”
If the idea of having to deal with $18 trillion dollars in debt isn’t enough to get students motivated to study up on the issues and vote, then perhaps focusing on an issue that directly effects students today — their own education and student loans — will serve as an eye opener. Both Love and her opponent, Doug Owens, have made education a big part of their platform in running for Utah’s 4th district.
“We must do everything possible to provide students with more student loan options. The current federal monopoly on student loans has done nothing to prevent tuition rates from skyrocketing,” Love said. “My plan is to encourage more loan options for students. I support increasing competition on student loan rates by allowing college students to choose between federal, state, private and commercial student loan programs. I’m open to any ideas that will stop tuition rates from skyrocketing.”
When the U announced its tuition rate hike for 2015, many students complained about the increase and the fact they felt like they had no control over the process. The truth of the matter is that students do have an element of control over these issues. Taking the time to research candidates who support higher education and who want to help students pay for it can substantially affects the way these issues are handled in the future. There are many politicians who are aware of the issues facing students and have an open ear to their voices, but in order to be heard, students must speak out.
Students have more influence over their own future than they think, and their votes make a difference. Love is a politician who is aware of the issues that are facing students and has made it part of her platform to help students attain and pay for their education. However, students need to realize that in failing to research the issues of the candidates, they miss out on opportunities to vote for those that would help their own cause. Every vote does count, as Love can attest — she lost a close election in 2012 for Congress against the incumbent Jim Matheson by a mere 768 votes.
The moral of the story here is that your vote as a student is important, and many politicians, like Love, are aware of how much it counts and are campaigning for your support. Taking the time to know what a candidate’s stance on issues like education is and then voting for the candidate who will help with tuition costs and student debt is imperative to spur change. So enjoy the chance to act like a child this Halloween and revel in the wicked fun of the season, but come Nov. 4 be sure to dabble in the adult world of politics by getting to the polls and casting a vote for your own future.