By Benjamin Roehlke, Staff writer
Susquehanna is focused on learning and is a place to explore and expand political knowledge. A local club on campus took initiative over the semester to support students in this process.
The Susquehanna University College Democrats have encouraged voter registration on campus and had set up a registration table in the lower level of the Degenstein Campus Center earlier this semester. This voter registration is done in an entirely nonpartisan manner, and all students are encouraged to register and inform themselves on the importance of participating in local, state, and national elections.
Senior Colleen Schoch said: “One of the biggest issues in America is that people actively choose not to vote, it is everyone’s constitutional right to vote, and it is something that people need to utilize as often as possible in order to uphold our democracy. With there being a lot of unease and unhappiness with our current administration or societal issues people need to excursive their right to vote in order to implement the change they wish to see”.
Michael Kennedy, senior and president of the Susquehanna University College Democrats, said, “The table has been something we’ve done at least once or twice every semester for a few years. This semester though we’ve been doing it at least once a week as part of our semester of action.”
He said his team has been working on this table every day when they were promoting it.
In 2012, according to the United States Census Bureau, it is estimated that only 54.9 percent of eligible voters turned up to vote in the presidential election. In 2016 the turnout was only 55.7 percent.
“I’d say that now is the time to act. When the older generation controls the election outcomes the people elected don’t represent us or our values,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy thinks that the current political climate is toxic and that the way to fix it is through younger voters.
“We all think it’s important that people participate because if you don’t participate you don’t matter to those in Harrisburg and D.C.,” Kennedy said.