By Abby Rathbun
I’ll admit it: I’m a political science major and my vote will not be in today’s election. But I’m not alone. According to the Census Bureau, in 2004 only 46.7 percent of those age 18-24 voted in that presidential election. Generally speaking, non-presidential elections, especially those in an off-year, have even lower voter turn out.
Though I, and others like me, tend to be a bit lethargic when it comes to voting, that is not the biggest issue. Voting at the University of Louisville, unless one is a Louisville native, means either 1) traveling home on Election Day and skipping classes or 2) absentee balloting.
Herein lies the problem – absentee voting is a hassle and an enigma to most college students and anyone else needing it. Only 4.3 percent of Kentucky voters voted before Election Day, making Kentucky one of the lowest pre-Election Day turnouts in the country.
As a second year student, I’m still not entirely sure how to vote by absentee ballot. According to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the request for a ballot must be received seven days before the election, and the ballot must be received at the county clerk’s office by the close of business on Election Day. However, to receive an absentee ballot, a written request must be sent via mail or fax with a verified excuse.
There are several issues with this system. First of all, the Commonwealth of Kentucky should update its voting systems. An application for an absentee ballot should be available to download from their Web site, or you should be able to send the request for the ballot by e-mail.
There is a slight problem with that, however. Fifty counties in Kentucky have neither an e-mail for the county clerk nor a Web site for the office of the county clerk. My home county of Kenton is the most populous without an e-mail or a Web site. This is absolutely ridiculous. If it was only necessary to send an e-mail to receive an absentee ballot, life would be considerably easier.
Any promotion of absentee voting is negligible, if even existent. I have yet to see anything pertaining to getting college students to vote via absentee voting, or even alerting them on how to vote by absentee ballots. In addition, there is no information spread that it is possible for students, or others, to vote before the election.
In Kentucky, by the Constitution, voting is to be allowed at a designated spot at least 12 days before the election. Shouldn’t college students, especially those who study rather far from their hometown, be informed of this? Many students travel home on the weekends, and stopping by the courthouse or the office of the county clerk would not be a major hassle to most students.
Maybe voter turnout in the college age bracket is low because we are all apathetic and lazy. Or maybe it’s because no one has ever told us how to vote. Kentucky and other organizations, especially those on campus with a political focus, should emphasize the non-traditional ways of voting.
Let’s face it, most of us will never travel hours home today to vote for the governor, but I’m willing to send an e-mail for a ballot.
