What college students can do to get involved during election
season
Though sometimes it seems like it will never end, the 2012
general election is now only weeks away. November 6this fast
approaching and candidates on the local, state, and federal level are ramping
up their rhetoric and campaign efforts in a last-ditch effort to sway undecided
voters. We saw that enthusiasm to engage voters with the second presidential
debate in Hempstead, N.Y. No matter where your political leanings may lie, you
can't deny the passion that both candidates have in their convictions (as
dubious as some may be).
I've seen firsthand how this passion in politics—from the
presidential to the local level—has worked like a double-edged sword when
trying to sway voters. On the one hand, the fiery rhetoric and lofty promises
have turned on some unlikely voters to the race and to politics in general,
including younger voters who're politically active for the first time. On the
other hand this kind of enthusiasm registers as insincerity to voters already
dubious about the efficacy of our political system.
I'd like to address the college students in particular
who've been inspired by the election coverage to get involved with the
political process in their area but aren’t sure where to start. Here are a few
tips I have to share with them.
Learn
about the candidates and policy concerns of your local government
I'd advise any college student interesting in the political
process to start with their local community. There are a few reasons to get
involved in the dynamics of local politics. It's likely that students will be
more immediately affected by policy decisions made on the local level than on
the state or even federal level.
In the same vein, students have a better chance of making a
tangible change in their community by supporting a candidate or an initiative
relevant to their immediate surroundings. In other words, the mayor or county
clerk can have much more influence in their college town than a president or a
governor.
Volunteer
within your community
Another way for students to get politically motivated is to
volunteer for a local cause. It doesn’t even have to be a volunteer gig related
to local politics. Volunteering at a hospital, at a veteran's facility, at a
homeless shelter, or at a civic center can inform a person about the pressing
events and circumstances that are challenging a community. Volunteering teaches
citizens about the value of their citizenship, and how they have the strength
that they have when they choose to give back to their community. College
students would do well to consider giving back to their community in such a way.
Join a
college club with civic underpinnings
College students can also join their classmates and try to
enact social change in their community as a group. Most colleges have a Young
Republicans/Democrat club and clubs for Libertarians, Green Party members, and
other third parties. These groups can be immensely helpful in informing curious
students about pertinent policy points and pressing issues central to a party's
ethos.
Vote
You've heard it from celebrities, politicians, educators,
and relatives: voting is the best way to enact significant civil change in a
community. if you don't vote for the causes you believe in (or vote against
those that you don't) how can you expect to change the political landscape?
Kate Wilson is a
freelance writer currently writing about political involvement in higher
education for collegecrunch.org. Kate also covers topics related to higher
education and mobile tech innovations, especially when both of those topics
intersect. Feel free to send some comments her way!
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