...who elected him?
Student election turnout likely disappointing
CONNOR SATTELY
editor-in-chief
Despite the nagging of professors
and the earnest appeals of politi
cians, student voter turnout in this
week's election was probably quite
low.
Associate professor of political
science Robert Speel, who instructs
on American elections, says that this
is nothing out of the norm for one of
the lowest-voting demographics in
the country.
However, it is particularly diffi-
(Probably not us.)
cult to measure student participa
tion in polls, because there is no
easily trackable voting location on
Behrend's campus.
"The Station Road location [at
Brookside Fire Station] is far away
and impossible to walk to without
sidewalks," Speel said in an e-mail
following election day. "We have
talked to local election officials in
the past about getting a polling place
on campus, but they say that voter
turnout is too low, which is probably
true."
The problem, then, is frustrating-
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enn State Behrend since 1948
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ly cyclical: election officials will not
bring a voting location to campus
because turnout is low, yet turnout
is low because it's too tough for stu
dents to get out to the polling places.
Add to that difficulty that, for
the first time in several years, there
were no rides to the polls provided
by either administration at the col
lege or students in organizations.
Speel also attributes the low turnout
up to an off-year election.
The next election, which is an
election for local officials in Novem
ber 2011, will be even worse, Speel
"Students will be absent from the
campus for the May 2011 primary
next year," he said in an e-mail. "The
election usually gets dismal turnout
among our students - five percent or
less."
Speel says the solution is to es
tablish support not amongst the stu
dents but with the administration.
"Administrators are here longer,
and promotion of student voting
isn't partisan," he said.
"If the school would work with
me and student leaders every year
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Page 7
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2010
CO COtt
w
1
to help students understand why
they should register to vote locally
and to ... arrange rides to the police
place until we have enough voters to
get a polling place on campus, we
might have more effective results."
Until that happens, he says, any
progress with heightening student
involvement will only be "tempo
rary."
» For Full election results, see
Humanities and Social Sciences
on PAGE 8
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