Absentee voting is not so absent among college students
By FATIMA JAWAID
DCN Correspondent
UMD student Amanda Lowe is in Australia this semester, where she is finishing her degree in elementary education (submitted photo by Christine Hirsch).
“I wasn’t going to let the fact that I was in another country stop me,� said University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) senior Amanda Lowe in an e-mail interview. “I still feel that it’s my responsibility to vote.�
Lowe, who is currently student teaching in Victoria, Australia, is just one of the growing number of UMD students who decided to get their vote out with an absentee ballot.
According to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State Web site, the absentee ballot is a way for citizens across the country to cast their vote through a mail-in ballot if they are away from or unable to get to their precinct polling place.
Cities across the country are seeing the amount of absentee voters skyrocket to all time highs. Minnesota holds the highest voter turnout in the country. About 8 percent of the Minnesota voting population voted absentee in 2004. According to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s web site, thatamount is expected to hit 12 percent to 15 percent this year.
“We run into a lot of people who are specifically interested in absentee voting,� said Rebecca Covington, campus organizer for the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG). Covington said that people often vote absentee when there is a close race in their hometown.
Rebecca Covington, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group.
(Photo by Fatima Jawaid/DCN Correspondent)
Katlin Ring, a junior at UMD, is one student who mailed in an absentee ballot because she wanted to be a part of her hometown elections.
“It was more of a personal stance for me,� said Ring. “My hometown doesn’t really vote the same way I vote, so it was my way of helping the community go in the direction I think it should be going.�
For Minnesota, the process of getting an absentee ballot is fairly simple. According to the Secretary of State’s Web site, students can print off a ballot request form online and receive a ballot within a few weeks.
“It was actually a super simple process,� said Ring. “I was surprised. I was mailed a ballot from John McCain--which is kind of ironic-- I filled it out and sent it in. I didn’t even have to put a stamp on it.�
According to Covington, students’ interest in absentee ballots is rising.
“We printed off at least a couple dozen to keep in the MPIRG office for students,� said Covington. “They’re all gone.�
Covington is one student who cast her vote through the absentee ballot.
“I’m going to be away from my precinct polling place all day because of all the ‘Get Out the Vote’ activities I’ll be doing on campus,� she said. “But I still wanted to get my vote out.�
While the reasons for students going absentee may vary, one thing remains the same -- the drive to get out the vote.
“It is my responsibility to do my part to ensure that our country is going to be run by a responsible, compassionate, intelligent and a hard working president who will make a positive impact on our country's future,� said Lowe.