Political clubs encourage participation in election

By Rachel Schwartz

As college political groups try to get out the vote, a survey of Santa Clara students found that while 58 percent are planning on voting, only 21 percent consider themselves well-informed, according to a non-scientific poll by The Santa Clara.

Fifty students were surveyed. Twenty-nine were registered to vote in California or outside, and all but one said that they planned to vote at the polls or through an absentee ballot.

Junior Kaylie Pezzuto is planning on voting but does not know much about the issues on the ballot.

"My mother calls me and informs me about what she thinks I should vote for the day before the election," Pezzuto said.

Only one of the respondents that is registered to vote is not planning on participating.

"I believe politics are too partisan," freshman Liz Teter said. "People should vote based on the candidate, not on the party, but that's what happens most of the time."

But according to political science professor James Cottrill, not voting, or "voting with your feet," leads to less input in the political process. "Most politicians take not voting as apathy, not making a statement," Cottrill said.

According to Ashley Schweickart, the College Democrats would rather see students go to the polls on Election Day and abstain from voting in certain categories than not vote at all.

"I understand that its your right to say, 'neither candidate is what I'm looking for,' and voting to not give your endorsement to either one," Schweickart said. "But, I think it's different to have the right to go to the polling station and make that decision and check the box that says you're abstaining from that category rather than not showing up at all or not registering to vote at all."

However, of the students planning to vote, only 21 percent consider themselves to be adequately informed about the candidates on the ballot.

"Young people don't really read newspapers anymore and rarely watch television news," Cottrill said. "Much more than the older generation, they don't keep up with current events, so it doesn't really surprise me that they don't know what's going to be on the ballot."

This comes as College Democrats, Republicans and members of the Political Science Students Association are making a push to increase students' political participation and knowledge of issues on this year's ballot.

The College Democrats have been conducting a non-partisan voter registration drive in Benson Memorial Center for the past few weeks, registering between five and 10 voters each day of the drive, according to Schweickart.

The students who they registered are either first-time voters who had never registered or students changing their registration from their hometown.

By registering in the university area, students will be voting on taxes and other measures which impact local residents and taxpayers.

"A lot of people change their voter registration during their college years because a lot of people are going to end up not going back home after they graduate," Schweickart said.

The College Republicans have also been working to rally support for the issues they are pushing in these elections.

The club has been phone banking for state and local candidates and will be going to San Diego this weekend to drop literature and voter information in neighborhoods, according to Jonas Pauliukonis, president of the College Republicans.

Today at 9 p.m. in The Bronco the PSSA is sponsoring a debate about California Propositions 85, 86 and 87.

The event is co-sponsored by the College Democrats, who will be arguing the Democrat perspective on the initiatives.

While the College Republicans were invited to participate, according to Pauliukonis, because of scheduling conflicts for most of the officers, the PSSA was able to find students willing to debate the Republican position on each measure.

"We're just trying to give students as much information about the California propositions as we can so they can make a well informed decision," junior Lisete Melo, president of the PSSA said.

Contact Rachel Schwartz at (408) 554-4546 or rschwartz@scu.edu.