Unresponsive absentees

Home Features Unresponsive absentees

Hillsdale is renowned for its conservative political activism and awareness. The College Republicans even hold phone-banking events once a week to mobilize Michigan voters, said their president, junior Max Kleber.  But the bulk of the student body is not quite so engaged as Hillsdale’s reputation may suggest.

A recent survey of 200 students shows that 60 percent of the student body knows how to request absentee ballots, but only 37.5 percent have actually requested a ballot. Three percent of students surveyed were completely unaware of what an absentee ballot is.

The upcoming presidential election is quickly approaching and the time to request absentee ballots is running out. Voter registration forms must be postmarked by Oct. 9, and applications for absentee ballots must be received by 2 p.m. on Nov. 3.

It is unclear if the majority of Hillsdale students will deliver.

“The student vote is one of the most over-hyped and over-discussed aspects of the election.  Every election about 18 percent of people under the age of 30 vote and even Barack Obama’s candidacy didn’t notice any of that,” said Tim Carney, visiting journalist and senior political columnist at The Washington Examiner.  “People don’t vote that much until they get older.”

This has particular significance in states — several of which are Hillsdale students’ home states — where absentee voting constitutes half of the total vote.  Some of these states are considered “swing” or “battleground” states, and could vote either way in the upcoming election. Many presidential elections are decided by a single state:  Bush won the 2000 election with Florida and 2004 with Ohio.

If the 2008 election is any indication, that pivotal state could come down to absentee votes. The United States Election Project calculated that over 20 percent of registered voters voted early or absentee in 2008. Of the total population, 30.6 percent, voted with absentee ballots. 54 percent of Florida votes were absentee, as were 25 percent of Michigan’s and 30 percent of Ohio’s. Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, and Arizona all reached over 50 percent absentee voting as well.

“Absentee votes can make life more fun for political reporters because it adds suspense to close elections,” Carney said. “But I think that’s one reason why students don’t vote that often. They’re registered to vote in their home states and absentee voting is annoying.”

Assistant Dean of Women Rebekah Dell said she thinks many students at Hillsdale are taking the election seriously.

“Looking back on my days in student activities, I find that students are very involved and want to be good citizens,” she said.

And compared to other colleges around the US, Hillsdale ranks as one of the top for supporting the presidential campaign of candidate Mitt Romney’s.  A little over two weeks ago, a Super Saturday event for canvassing local areas came to Hillsdale.  A Romney-Paul campaign official reported that in terms of the percentage of students, Hillsdale put all other colleges to shame, with 1,060 doors knocked in one day, over 25 students coming out to help, and 33 shifts filled.

“While that doesn’t seem like a lot compared to the number of people on the email list, it’s more than any other college in the state,” Kleber said.

Not everyone will go door-to-door for Romney or any other candidate for that matter. But all it takes to participate is filing that absentee vote.