Almost a Thousand Students Disenfranchised - for Being Students
As the Emma Goldman quote goes, if voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal.
And in the little Georgia town of Statesboro, that's exactly what has happened. A group of residents have challenged the voter registrations of over 900 students who go to school at Georgia Southern University there. The grounds for the challenge? They're students, and if they vote in large numbers, they could easily sway the outcome of local elections. Oh no, run for the hills! The youngins are enfranchising themselves! WSAV:
A group called "Statesboro Citizens for Good Government" have challenged more than nine hundred students' residency and their eligibility to vote in city council elections.
"We don't think they are informed voters and the only way we can do that is by challenging whether they should be voting here," says Karen Lavender of the group. [Full article]
Well, I'll give them props for being honest - they didn't wrap their reason in legalese. It was a simple we don't think you're going to vote correctly. Now let's also be clear as to the ostensible reason for the student voting drive. Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
They aren't protesting civil rights violations or an unjust war. Their causes are much closer to home.
They want looser drinking laws and Sunday liquor sales. They want well-known retailers such as Best Buy and Abercrombie & Fitch. [Full article]
While we should all be fighting against the incursion of Big Box retailers, you don't do that by preventing people from voting (a classic right-wing tactic with a sad history in that part of the country). For many students, this is their first time voting. And instead of simply pushing a few buttons, getting an "I Voted" sticker and going their merry way, they're handed a notice that their vote is being challenged, and told to appear before a court. Thankfully, the local Statesboro Herald's editorial board sees the light:
We acknowledge the members of the group believe they are doing the right thing. But for all their protestations about not wanting to deny students their right to vote, their actions demonstrate clearly that’s precisely what they want. If they pursue the challenges, Statesboro may see civil rights groups descending on our town and that would be bad for all city and county residents.
There are plenty of issues in Statesboro besides alcohol that citizens should be concerned with – economic development, possible future annexation and traffic to name three. But come Tuesday, if a registered college student wants to vote for a candidate who wants to completely revamp the alcohol ordinance or if a 35-year city resident wants to vote for a candidate who doesn’t, we urge them to come to the polls.
Fewer and fewer people – as a percentage of population in our nation, our state, our county and our town – care to take advantage of the right to vote. While we all are free to disagree with someone’s motivation to vote, everyone should be encouraged to vote. [Full article]
Exactly. The democratic way to win elections is not disenfranchisement, but simply getting more people to come out and vote. Especially with local races sometimes with a margin of a few dozen votes, boosting turnout is the key, and depending on the situation, can be a great avenue for students to push for real, meaningful change on the local level. Nomatter our views on alcohol laws or malls, we should stand with all students who grasp at what few levers of power they're given access to.