Election Day is upon us, and now that the distraction of Halloween is behind us, it’s time for those who care about the direction of their future to go out to the ballots and cast a vote for change. As college students, we have a responsibility to not only go out and vote but to understand who we are actually voting for. Understanding the issues and policies that candidates stand for is imperative. To blindly vote along party lines is almost as bad as not voting at all.
In a recent interview with The Daily Utah Chronicle, congressional hopeful Doug Owens, who is running against Mia Love in Utah’s 4th congressional district, talked about the importance of education and why students should care about the issues and get out and vote.
“I want to get Congress working again, as crazy as that may sound. I was familiar with an era where people used to work across party lines and didn’t get stuck on party labels and realized that when elections ended, they still had to solve problems,” Owens said. “I inherited an outlook in working with people even though we may have different viewpoints. I want to make sure we get back to working together and finding common sense solutions.”
A graduate of the U, Owens puts a tremendous amount of value in higher education and believes a college degree will help students make more money and has made education an important part of his platform.
“My mission is to get on the education subcommittee and figure out what the federal government’s role should be and find a federal component that can help make higher education more accessible for people,” Owens said. “The core mission of universities has got to be focused on helping students hold on to their place in the economy. It’s got to be driven more by what the economic realities are. We can’t afford to keep losing the middle class in our country.”
The race between Owens and Love is a tight one, proving that every vote does matter. In 2012, Love narrowly lost her race with Jim Matheson by fewer than 800 votes, which is why both candidates are aggressively pursuing every vote.
“I want people to understand this is a horse race, and they should look at who they want to support and get out and vote because it was close last time and it will be close this time,” Owens said. “It’s important for everyone to vote because if you don’t vote, you’re leaving your decisions in the hands of other people who may not be as well informed as you are.”
Now is the time to take the bull by the horns and make a difference in your own future by researching the issues, understanding what the candidates stand for and, most importantly, getting out to the ballots on Nov. 4 and letting your voice be heard. As Owens said during his interview, your vote does matter.
“I hope students will not get disgusted by the idea that their vote doesn’t make a difference because over time they are going to change their minds. And I hope they get focused and see it does make a difference. Good government is worth fighting for,” Owens said.