We, younger Millennials, love local. We busily fill our baskets with locally grown produce. We feel good about buying clothes from locally owned stores. We flock to support our friends’ start-up bands and business ideas. It is us versus them, conscience consumer verses greedy corporate. We even proudly stamp the “Buy Local” bumper sticker on our cars (or water bottles). The word “local” overall has a positive connotation…until it is paired with one word: politics.
It isn’t that we aren’t politically active or opinionated. Taking a look at any form of social media eliminates that argument. Young Democratic voters had a big influence on the Colorado caucus and why Bernie won. But with the exception of presidential elections, young voter turnout is extremely low in state, county, and city elections nationwide. It isn’t that we don’t care; I highly doubt anyone purposely boycotts their school board election. It comes down to the view that presidential elections are the most important, most highly publicized, and will make the most difference. When, quite honestly, it is the government not at the federal level that will be making the most impact on your life.
And this rings true for your college campus’s elections, too. Only twenty percent of DU’s undergraduate population voted last year in the Undergraduate Student Elections. That’s only 1,000 Pioneers. We can’t even make excuses that we didn’t register or didn’t have time-an email is sent directly to our DU account. “I think it has something to do with low student engagement overall…there is a lack of DU Pride,” voiced Alejandro Chavez, who is running for Sophomore Senator. “That needs to change and be a united front-I want to work on changing that.” Issues that the DU candidates are tackling: sexual assault, tuition increase, inclusive excellence misconceptions, and library hours. These are the same issues we as a student body has voiced our concern about-why wouldn’t we act on the change to elect representatives who are going to make progress in the issues we care about?
It takes under a minute to vote. Go dig through your email between store promotions and professor responses and find Carl Johnson USG Elections. As a generation who is greatly focused on world and societal improvement, why don’t we take a minute and help ourselves?
Support Local. Buy Local. Vote Local.
Undergraduate Student Election voting takes place from 8:00 AM Wednesday April 27th to 12:00pm Friday April 29th.