Election Day is seen as one of the most important days of the year, but only 17 percent of 18 to 24 year olds casted a ballot.
“You know I could either drive home for four hours and go to Kansas, or I can stay here and go to my classes Tuesday afternoon which is what I’m supposed to be doing so obviously I’m going to put my school first, and I think a lot of people find themselves in that similar situation,” said Johnny Carver, an out of state student.
He thinks one of the main issues with the absentee ballots is the lack of information given to college students.
“There’s not a lot of information out there. The only reason I knew how to get an absentee ballot was because my parents went and helped me do that because I want to be an active citizen. But, there’s so many people I’m sure on this campus that don’t know what to do or how to do it,” said Carver.
While some deal with getting an absentee ballot, others think it could credit to the amount of work college students go through, leaving them unprepared.
“Especially because the election come right after midterms, I think it sneaks up on a lot of students that they actually do need to register to vote here and I don’t think the process is necessarily an easy one for a busy college student,” said another U of A student.
This in-state student who says he believes that giving students the day off can increase voting numbers around the nation.
“I always thought that Election Day should be a national holiday. I think that everybody shouldn’t have to work or go to school, I think it should be that you close everything so that people can go vote, I know that’s what a lot of different countries do and they have a really good voter turnout,” he said.
-Courtesy of UATV Reporter Bradley Board