More involvement in local politics needed

By: The Traveler Editorial Board

Posted: 2/25/08

This year, there have been multiple reports in the major news media about the increasing number of young people who are turning out to vote in their states' primaries and caucuses. Whether galvanized by the war in Iraq, the poor state of our national economy or other factors, our demographic is showing increased interest in this year's presidential race.

It is commendable that the "Why bother?" generation is starting to show a few signs of life, but it is important for us to remember that, while the presidential race gets all the press and seems so important, we can actually have as much, if not more, impact on our everyday lives by voting in local elections.

Local and state governments often vote on issues that don't seem as important as those dealt with by the national government, but these issues still can and do have an effect on our lives.

Think about it: the bans against smoking in restaurants, which changed the lives of almost everyone in Arkansas (whether you think the change was for the better or the worse), were not enacted by the president. Local and state officials set those changes into motion.

Not only do the actions of our smaller governing bodies often have a more direct effect on our daily lives, our votes also have a more direct effect when it comes to electing those governing officials. There is no electoral college or confusing delegate count, only your vote and the vote of the people around you. And, because fewer people vote in state and local elections, each vote has much more of an impact.

We urge our fellow students to become more interested in and more aware of what is going on at the state and local levels, instead of simply voting in the presidential elections and then slinking back to dorm rooms and apartments to play PlayStation 47, or whatever new gaming consoles emerge between now and November.

Go online and visit www.arkansas.gov to learn more about what is happening at the state level. Go to www.accessfayetteville.org to learn more about your city government. Write your state senators and representatives when you find issues you care about; attend city council meetings and voice your opinions.

As UA students, though, you shouldn't stop there.

A story in today's issue of The Arkansas Traveler shows the vast majority of UA students do not vote in Associated Student Government elections. The main reasons students gave for not voting included not knowing enough about the ASG and not feeling like the ASG had any effect on their lives.

Well, here's an interesting tidbit for those who don't know much about the ASG and those who don't feel like it matters: among other duties, the ASG is in charge of determining who will receive almost a quarter of a million dollars of student fee money each year.

How are they spending your money? Do you care?

Stop waiting for someone to feed you this kind of information. Take some initiative and do some research; go to ASG senate meetings (6 p.m. Tuesdays in the Reynolds Center). Visit the Web site at asg.uark.edu and e-mail your college's senators about the issues that you care about.

All the presidential candidates this year are talking about the need for change, and most Americans seem to agree. But, you can't expect one elected official to change your life. If you really want to see change, you have to get involved.