8/13/2019 University Students Face Voting Trade-Off

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University students face voting trade-off

Students say classes interfere with voting Faculty, administrators question concept of no school on Election Day

 By: Kate Sylvester

Yards are decorated with red and blue signs, students’ backpacks are adorned with flashy

 pins and mailboxes are overflowing with bold, eye-catching fliers. It is easy to guess the time of

year – election time.

Every four years Americans have the opportunity to elect a

new president. College students not only face the difficult decision

of whom to vote for but they also have to figure out when and how

they will vote. Students, faculty and administrators at the university

differ in their beliefs on the merits of canceling classes on Election

Day.

“I had to go home to vote because I forgot to sign up for an

absentee ballot,” Amy Vaccaro, junior communication major, said.

Vaccaro and other students said if the university canceled classes on Election Day voting would

 be easier and they would not have to skip classes.

For some students, voting in an election, no matter how important it is to them, comes as

a trade-off. “I think it [having classes cancelled] would help, it would have been a lot easier for

me because I had to make a trip home in the middle of the day,” said Samantha Hines, junior

elementary education major. Like many others, Hines had to squeeze the long drive home into

her schedule between classes.

(more)

Isabel Sharg, a junior environmental

science and policy major, believes

canceling class on Election Day willimprove voter turnout.

 Photo by Kate Sylvester

8/13/2019 University Students Face Voting Trade-Off

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Cost, time deter students from driving home to vote

“I almost didn’t submit to get my absentee in time, in which case I would not have been

able to drive home because of my class schedule. Also, because of gas prices and time and

schedules it’s hard for students to go home,” Stefanie Zaner, senior neurobiology and physiology

major, said. “Canceling classes for the day would definitely increase

voting.”

Some students, such as Zaner, say the costs of driving home, or

waiting in a long line on campus, deter students from voting.

However, other students, such as junior bioengineering major

David Novy, disagree and think that canceling classes would not

inspire students to vote. “I really don’t think canceling classes would

lead to a higher turnout,” Novy said.

Faculty, administrators disagree with students

From faculty and administrators’ points of view, canceling classes on Election Day is

unnecessary because students have enough free time already. “Most college students have lots of

free time and don’t vote,” government professor Paul Herrnson said. Administrators agree with

Herrnson; “I can honestly say I have never had a student tell me that he couldn’t vote because of

classes,” said Linda Clement, vice president for Student Affairs.

Despite students’ support of a policy canceling classes for Election Day, they do not

appear to have the support of faculty and administrators. “If we did cancel classes we might

need to extend the semester,” Clement said. “I don’t think that would be popular with students or

faculty.” 

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David Novy, a junior bioengineering

major, believes canceling classes willnot encourage voting

 Photo by Kate Sylvester