Bring change by voting in ASUM elections

By now, students at the University of Montana have been bombarded with requests to register to vote, and to vote Democrat, Republican or Libertarian. We’ve had presidential candidates swing through Missoula, and come fall semester Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Sen. Max Baucus are sure to be schmoozing with college students in an effort to capture the elusive “young voters.”

While voter turnout among college students has improved in recent years, the turnout for student government elections at UM has been horrendous. Last year, of the roughly 14,000 students, only 2,038 students voted in the ASUM general elections. While an improvement over the previous year, that’s still only about 14 percent of the student population.

Regardless of who wins this nation’s highest office, things will remain relatively stable for most people. It’s our local leaders – including student government – who can have the most dramatic impact on their communities. Likewise, political involvement doesn’t spring up when you get your AARP membership card. Rather, being an engaged citizen is a lifelong endeavor. Disinterest now will translate to apathy later.

I haven’t always agreed with what ASUM is doing or where its members are focusing their energies, but ASUM president Dustin Leftridge and vice president Tara Ness have put in countless hours at the office and around campus organizing and meeting with community leaders. Senators and ASUM business manager Erica Henderson don’t only show up to Wednesday meetings, but also hold committee meetings throughout the week that streamline the process of student government.

It doesn’t sound very glamorous, and it’s not. It’s a lot of long hours and hard work. But thanks to ASUM, we’ve got buses that shuttle students from Park-N-Ride lots to campus, greater recycling on campus and an Off-Campus Renter Center looking out for renters’ rights.

National campaigns may be sexier, but real change is happening here on campus, as student leaders work together to hammer out solutions to everyday problems faced by everyday students. We owe it to ourselves to vote in the ASUM elections.