[NEohioPAL]Did college kids vote?

[Maria Phillis]

First of all, I'd like to extend my sympathies to those directly and
detrimentally affected by Issue One.

Second, I'd like to note that I too (a college student, who has been
voting for three years without influence from random celebrities) voted
for Kerry and I am as upset as anyone that the idiot got reelected
instead.  

>Nina wrote:

>>As the college
>>kids, who largely didn't bother to vote (17% - an
>>improvement, but not much of one) wait til you
>>graduate
>>and try to get jobs in Bush's economy. I say to them,
>>"Good luck, and thanks for NOTHING."

>I will say that I bet there were PLENTY who showed up at the rally to see
>Kerry so they could see The Boss, and then didn't bother to vote or maybe
>even voted for Bush. (It must be hard for those Born In The USA republican
>fans of Bruce's.)

>However, I must also say that I saw one number that said that there
were 4.6
>MILLION MORE VOTERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18-29 THAN IN 2000. Sounds like a
>pretty good improvement to me. Unfortunately only 54% of them voted for
>Kerry. I shudder to think how many of the other 46% were afraid to look
into
>any opinion other than their parents.'

Ok, I've been silent long enough.  I am a college student and I'd say
99% of the people I know at school and I voted on Tuesday, or by
absentee.  And of those people, I'd say 90% at the minimum voted for
Kerry.  And NO ONE I knew voted for the gay marriage ban.

While its disgusting that many students didn't vote, how many of you are
aware of the many places that have been discouraging students from
voting where they live?  Apparently, even though it is legal for
students to vote where they go to school, there were many individuals
going around and threatening student with legal repercussions if they
tried to register to vote in the state their school was located in,
before the election.  This certainly may have contributed to the lower
turnout. In the Plain Dealer, a couple wrote a letter reporting that
when their entire family registered to vote at the same time, the adults
got their paperwork processed, but their kids who were college age had
major problems being able to get a hold of absentee ballots or
registration confirmation.

On top of that, there were plenty of other people in this country who
didn't vote besides the students.  And plenty of the ones who did vote,
I'm sure, voted the way they did becuase they didn't want questions from
their family or spouses, or because they were told to vote that way, or
because they always vote Republican.  Students are not the only ones
that can be influenced one way or the other by ridiculous reasons.  

As for being afraid to question their parents, sure I know a few who
might fall under that category, but I know more who do question the way
they were raised.  And I know plenty of adults who never think to
question anything.

My friend is Catholic.  She voted Kerry, but every time she went to
church she was told in a sermon to vote for Bush becuase he's against
abortion.  The immense pressure from church groups and other community
leaders cannot be overlooked.

I don't mean to rant here, but there are plenty of students  (if not the
majority) who are concerned with this world and do care.  And as for the
rest, maybe they still have some growing up to do, but that's a little
more likely than some one older realizing the same thing.

maria