Rock your vote: become informed

As we all undoubtedly know, there is a Presidential election coming up in November. As is typical during election season, it is difficult to escape the topic of politics right now.  It is all over television and newspapers.  Even Facebook has become a popular avenue for people to voice their political opinions.

Here at GSU, it is no different.  It is impossible to walk around campus these days, or pick up a copy of this very newspaper, without being aware of the school's Rock the Vote campaign. The Rock the Vote campaign was started this year by Brandon Sanders of the Student Senate to encourage GSU students to register to vote.

The Rock the Vote campaign is an important cause, because voting is an important responsibility we all must take seriously as Americans.  We are all so fortunate to live in a country where we are guaranteed freedom of speech and can voice our opinions freely.  If we don't like how our elected leaders are doing their jobs, we can vote for somebody else that we think will do a better job.  The right to vote is our voice. It is our chance to tell to the people in power what we think of the job they're doing, good or bad.

However, to simply become a registered voter and cast a ballot is not enough.  We all must take it upon ourselves to become informed voters.  But what does that mean?  Do we become informed voters by watching the news and reading newspapers?  By watching the debates and paying attention to what the candidates are saying?  To an extent, these things help us to become informed, but they can also be misleading.  Television stations and newspapers can have biases.  If we come to rely on one news source, our own judgments can become clouded by their biases.  Likewise, relying on debates and candidate's quotes can cloud our judgments as well.  Sometimes a candidate says what we want to hear, but they're only saying what they're saying to pander for votes. 

So, knowing that these problems exist, how does one know that they have really been informed with the truth?  An informed voter really is not informed, if the information they've been told is either biased, or a flat out lie. It is because of the potential to be misled that so many people are wary about believing anything a politician says, which in my opinion is what often leads to voter apathy.  Why bother voting when you don't know who to believe anyway?

This is where we, as responsible voters, must take it upon ourselves to find the truth.  As college students, we have all had to do research at one point or another.  As voters, that is exactly what we must do: research.  Think about the issues that matter most to you, and research how the candidates have voted on those issues.  Look at their actions.  What have they done regarding a particular issue?  Actions always speak louder than words.  Don't wait to hear what a particular candidate has to say on a subject, find out for yourself what actions they've taken (or not taken) on the issues that are important to you. 

The Presidential election in November is, without a doubt, an extremely important election that will determine our President for the next four years.  However, there will be positions on the ballot other than President, such as Senator and State Representative, which are also important.  It is important to educate ourselves on these candidates as well, as they will also be in positions of power that will impact us all.  It is easy to lose sight of that fact because the media focuses mainly on the Presidential candidates, but as informed voters we must become educated on all candidates that we may consider voting for.  Towns and cities often make sample ballots available for citizens prior to elections, so make sure to obtain one for your town and see who you will have to vote for in November.

The right to vote is a right that should not be taken lightly.  While politics is not usually a favorite topic of discussion for most people, it is a tremendously important topic that we all must discuss and participate in to make sure our best interests are being represented.  We can complain about the job our elected officials do all we want, but voting is our only chance to really use our voices to make a statement about how well we think our politicians are doing their jobs.