No, the first time isn't easy. It's unfamiliar and uncomfortable. But everyone is doing it in 2004 -- in their home states or in New Hampshire; by mail or at Town Hall -- and it's ultimately rewarding to share in an act most people have enjoyed for years.
I won't undermine the intellect of Dartmouth students or the legitimacy of the voting process any further by reducing either to jokes or incentives (although, if you register with Vote Clamantis you're entered to win an iPod--okay, enough shameless self-promotion). We at the College, like many young people, already know the most important issues any citizen needs to know: those that matter to us and our community. More importantly, we attend a college that fosters our sense of awareness of issues both local and far-reaching. Yet even in an active community like ours, too often thought is not turned into action.
President Harry Truman once said that the highest office in the land is that of citizen. Indeed, there is no role more vital and no ingredient more essential to the health of our democracy. But the United States' voter turnout rate ranks 139th out of the 167 world democracies. At this critical political juncture in 2004 civic participation continues to decrease, particularly amongst the youngest bloc of voters.
In the fall of 2003 the National Campaign for Political and Civic Engagement noted that 49 percent of college students who intended to vote in upcoming elections would vote absentee, yet over half of them were unsure of how to do so. In an already-informed group of students like those in Hanover, perceived institutional barriers are the greatest impediments to civic engagement. The hassle of obtaining and completing administrative paperwork are often enough to deter a student from voting.
Vote Clamantis in Deserto is a nonpartisan continuous voter registration drive sponsored by the Rockefeller Center that hopes to ensure that every Dartmouth student eligible to vote in the 2004 election can do so by providing the necessary resources in a single, centralized location. Registration forms, absentee ballot applications, addresses, deadlines, and other information are available online or by BlitzMail.
The Big Green already sets a national collegiate standard of excellence in its academics, athletics, and extracurriculars; that standard should extend to civic engagement. Dartmouth stands apart because of its myriad opportunities for contentious political discourse. Now make Dartmouth the only institution of higher-learning with 100-percent voter registration.
There is no more qualified voter than the college student yet more and more young people see government as immense, overwhelming, and frustrating. Too many young adults have internalized that they are not serious enough, that they are not responsible enough, that their votes don't matter, that the business of government is not their business.
The business of a democratic government is everybody's business.
Long written-off as politically apathetic, a generation of college-age kids is a sleeping giant. If it awakens and arises, it could be an extremely significant force in the elections. Few Dartmouth students are willingly reticent but if you fail to even register then you are without license to bitch come the results on Nov. 3. Some states' registration deadlines are as soon as Oct. 2; in others, including New Hampshire, voters can register at the polls on Election Day. If you intend to vote in the Granite State you must stop by the Office of Residential Life to obtain proof of residency or sign an affidavit confirming your domicile at Town Hall. If you are voting as a resident of your home state you need to apply for an absentee ballot prior to the election.
In 1999, 98.6 percent of East Timor went to the polls to vote for independence. Many walked for more than a day so that they could cast their ballots. I ask for only a few minutes of your time. I know that you're busy but I make an impassioned plea to each of you to drop what you're doing -- be it with pencil or pong paddle -- and ensure that you have a place to vote come Nov. 2.
Look at our country -- have we any other choice?
