Registering to vote only the first step — but take that step

By now, you’ve probably seen the people walking around campus with clipboards asking if you’re registered to vote.

Don’t just blow them off. Stop and take a minute to fill out the registration form or update your address if you’ve moved since last year, so you know which polling place to head to on Nov. 4.

The presidential election coming up is crucial – as they are always said to be – but this year in particular, Montana may play a bigger role in the election outcome. 

Two Democratic candidates have already campaigned in our traditionally Republican-voting state. Although Sen. Hillary Clinton is out of the running, Sen. Barack Obama is making his fifth visit to Billings today on his way to accept the party nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colo. 

His rival, presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, has yet to visit the state.

Obama wants to win Montana’s superdelegates in November. So whether you support or oppose him, it’s up to you to head to the polls and keep the state red, or turn it blue.

If you live in Montana or attend school in the state, you can register to vote.

You don’t need to have a Montana driver’s license or be eligible for in-state tuition. All you need is to have had a Montana address for 30 days, whether it is on or off campus.

Registering to vote is an easy first step toward getting involved on campus and in the community.

Once you’ve done that, start exploring the myriad of school groups and activities offered on campus to discover what issues will be most important to you in the upcoming election.

Join the College Republicans or College Democrats. Both have weekly meetings – check out the ASUM Web site (http://www.umt.edu/asum/default.aspx) for times and locations – and go see what both groups have planned for the weeks leading up to the presidential election. They are great resources if you have questions on the campaigns or just don’t understand how Obama or McCain differ on, say, school funding and tuition.

Choosing whether to vote is your choice and right as a citizen of the United States.

But if you don’t vote, don’t complain about social security, tuition, minimum wage, the war in Iraq, or whatever it is you think should be different about our government.

If you don’t take the time to learn about each presidential candidate’s stance on issues that affect you as a student and make an informed decision on which candidate to support in the election, and you don’t attempt to change what you think should be different about the United States, then your opinion should carry no weight.

Get involved on campus. Get involved in the election. It is your responsibility to make your voice heard – don’t just sit back only to wake up in four years without knowing how you got there in the first place.

—Virginia J. Cleaveland, news editor,
virginia.cleaveland@umontana.edu