Adam Telle’s article, “Students have same rights as residents,” misses its mark completely. His tirade is an attack on an argument that was never made. My article “Care about other issues” was not meant to be a deterrent to voting. In no way did I call students “stupid” or “politically impotent.” Those are Adam Telle’s words. I implore students to use their own reading comprehension skills rather than relying on Telle’s inaccurate re-writing of my article.
A negative message I did convey, however, was that yes-students are apathetic. That is inarguable. Statistics show that the 18-25 age range has the lowest voter turnout of any bracket. If I wanted students to stay at home, I wouldn’t have bothered writing an article-staying at home is the natural tendency.
Contrary to Telle’s portrayal of students as politically involved with the Board of Aldermen, he forgot to mention a few details. Five of the nine students were attending because of class requirements. Two were attending for SA reasons and the remaining two were with the “Corey for Alderman” campaign.
The message my article was trying to convey was to get involved, but voting blindly is not involvement. Learn about all of the issues, judge which issues affect not only you, but your community as well.
Telle tried to convince the student body that it is okay to vote only in your own interest. As a Democrat, I believe we have a responsibility to more than ourselves when we vote for a representative. We have a responsibility to our neighbors and fellow Americans. If we were all self-centered voters, how many would vote for representatives who support welfare? How many non-agricultural states would support farm subsidies? Being an American is more than only caring about what affects you.
There is nothing wrong with encouraging informed voting. There is also nothing wrong with stating that it’s an abuse of your voting right not to be an informed voter. Winston Churchill once said, “The greatest argument against democracy is five minutes with the average voter.”
As students at MSU, we have an obligation to be more than “average voters.” I believe we can have a more profound impact on our community and the future of our country by showing a drive that most Americans do not-to fully understand the issues in an election.
Despite Adam Telle’s callous approach to my opinion, I firmly believe there is nothing wrong with encouraging voters to become informed before going to the polls. This is not an issue of intelligence. This is an issue of initiative. Anyone can learn about the candidates; you don’t even have to know how to read. All it takes is ambition and the will to learn. Go learn, then vote.
When students take time to examine the issues in this election cycle, they will see that while students are an integral part of Starkville, they are not the only part. This is not a deterrent, but it is more of a notice. Recognize that you are not the only reason that Starkville exists. Care about your community and the others in it. If you want to build a positive relationship with Starkville, be willing to accept fair representation-not complete control.
Brandon Bogard is the president of the College Democrats.