Spring Break
Can Eastern 'Rock the Vote?'
Editorial Board
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Opinions
"Rock the Vote."
The campaign began in 1990.
And now, on Eastern's campus, a new part of the campaign has begun.
Levi Bulgar, the student executive vice president, has been working hard along with other student government members to register Eastern students to vote.
This is a good thing. But there is only so much he can do.
The importance of voting is a topic is a dead horse that has been beaten for decades.
The potential effect young voters can have on an election has been discussed a lot more recently, especially since "Rock the Vote" began.
In 1992 many pundits credited the campaign with handing the presidency to Bill Clinton.
But young voters should turn out at more than just national elections.
In a college town like Charleston, where roughly half of the people living here for more than 9 months out of the year are college students, student turnout could sway legislation.
But it begins with registration.
Bulgar has run a voter registration drive in the informational booth in the Library Quad.
He has worked with student government to push the importance of registering to vote.
Why does he care so much?
He is an immigrant from Romania and did not arrive in this country until he was 4 years old. But growing up, he knew the importance of voting and making a difference.
How is it that he seems to care more about voting than other people his age who have been in this country their entire lives?
When he hears people complain about the current system, he often asks them who they voted for.
They say they didn't vote.
This is not uncommon.
The old argument has always been "if you didn't vote, you can't complain."
There is some validity to that stance. The counterargument says, "my vote doesn't matter."
Bulgar has an answer for that, too.
"If you have 1,000, 20,000, 1 million Americans with that same idea doesn't count," he said. "It makes a difference."
This generation has always been referred to as an apathetic generation.
With the help of Bulgar and people like him, let's change that perception.
Illinois primaries are Feb. 5. If you are not registered, be on the lookout for voter registration tables Bulgar plans on putting out from now until then.
But it does not end there.
You can register to vote and feel good temporarily. But if you don't vote, then what does it matter?
The old saying is that "we can make a difference." We can if we register and then follow-through and enter our votes whenever there is an election or referendum we can contribute to.
The campaign began in 1990.
And now, on Eastern's campus, a new part of the campaign has begun.
Levi Bulgar, the student executive vice president, has been working hard along with other student government members to register Eastern students to vote.
This is a good thing. But there is only so much he can do.
The importance of voting is a topic is a dead horse that has been beaten for decades.
The potential effect young voters can have on an election has been discussed a lot more recently, especially since "Rock the Vote" began.
In 1992 many pundits credited the campaign with handing the presidency to Bill Clinton.
But young voters should turn out at more than just national elections.
In a college town like Charleston, where roughly half of the people living here for more than 9 months out of the year are college students, student turnout could sway legislation.
But it begins with registration.
Bulgar has run a voter registration drive in the informational booth in the Library Quad.
He has worked with student government to push the importance of registering to vote.
Why does he care so much?
He is an immigrant from Romania and did not arrive in this country until he was 4 years old. But growing up, he knew the importance of voting and making a difference.
How is it that he seems to care more about voting than other people his age who have been in this country their entire lives?
When he hears people complain about the current system, he often asks them who they voted for.
They say they didn't vote.
This is not uncommon.
The old argument has always been "if you didn't vote, you can't complain."
There is some validity to that stance. The counterargument says, "my vote doesn't matter."
Bulgar has an answer for that, too.
"If you have 1,000, 20,000, 1 million Americans with that same idea doesn't count," he said. "It makes a difference."
This generation has always been referred to as an apathetic generation.
With the help of Bulgar and people like him, let's change that perception.
Illinois primaries are Feb. 5. If you are not registered, be on the lookout for voter registration tables Bulgar plans on putting out from now until then.
But it does not end there.
You can register to vote and feel good temporarily. But if you don't vote, then what does it matter?
The old saying is that "we can make a difference." We can if we register and then follow-through and enter our votes whenever there is an election or referendum we can contribute to.
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