Very Unsure
The AP has a story on thwarted college-student voters. “Local politicians are very unsure about students,” a professor at Salisbury University in Maryland says. “They enjoy having students pay (sales) taxes and contribute to the economy. But they are wary of how students could influence politics at a local level.” Indeed.
The story also cites a study about how students who must vote absentee are less likely to vote at all, confirming our theory that the nice liberals who live in a lot of these college towns could have an effect that they might come to regret on a very close national election.
That’s a pretty stupid law if you ask me but I can understand why it was put in place. I was able to register from my Dorm Room when I turned 18, so it wasn’t too bad. They made it pretty easy too.
But yes, it seems that people don’t mind the tax money they receive but they don’t actually want them to participate.
posted by Kozzie on August 30th, 2004 at 4:23 pmThis is sort of unrelated, but does anyone know if it’s possible to switch your voter registration from your home state to the state where you attend college? Because I’m from Massachusetts, which is pretty definitely going to Kerry, and it would be nice to make my vote count a tiny bit more by voting in Michigan. But I’m already registered in Massachusetts….
posted by art student on August 30th, 2004 at 5:54 pmCertainly when I was at college in Massachusetts it was standard for students to switch their registration in order to vote in local elections. You should certainly be able to switch your registration to Michigan. Just go register to vote in Michigan (http://www.michigan.gov/sos) and the right thing should happen.
posted by tibbetts on August 30th, 2004 at 7:08 pmThis is in response to a comment posted by KEITH S. I work in retail and before you slag off us retail people try working a retail job first.8 hours staning in one spot can really suck! It is easy to cast stones and say we act like the customer is “an annoyance”. I do NOT treat my customers like that where I work. BUT CUSTOMERS DO TREAT ME LIKE THAT!! They feel free is ask personal questions about my health, my clothes and WHINE incessintly about the lack of their favorite wine or cheese, etc (that is not in stock to you non-retail people) I had one co-worker who was asked as she was reading a classic novel..”Isn’t that a heady read for a CASHIER?” This fucking town needs to chill off the yuppy brie cheese attitude and treat us retail people like HUMANS. YA KNOW…DO UNTO OTHERS! I greet everyone politely and what I get in return is customers LICKING THEIR MONEY before that give it me..(thanks for sharing the germs lady!) bitching about the prices (like we decide that!) customers not knowing how to use their credit card machine or what kind of card they have (errr…is this a debit or credit card? Can you tell me Miss Cashier?_Ann Arbor is soooo PHD…and life stupid…Thank God I live in Manchester..where polite people live..psst DON’T move out here ya yuppie scum!
posted by pissedoffretailchick on August 30th, 2004 at 7:10 pmhey, tibbetts, I recognize your name from being on Mayhem this year, although you may not remember me. small world. (send me mail if you’re curious.)
posted by ann arbor is overrated on August 30th, 2004 at 7:29 pmKeith? Who’s Keith?
posted by js on August 31st, 2004 at 9:24 amBack in East Lansing, the former city officials made every effort to thwart students from registering to vote. Ann Arbor hasn’t had that kind of history. It’s not that the “nice liberals” on Ann Arbor city council and elsewhere are opposed to students voting. It’s more that most of them don’t think about students (or their interests) at all.
If students don’t register and vote, they don’t register on the political radar screen.
posted by Larry Kestenbaum on August 31st, 2004 at 12:41 pmjs it’s Keith S, you two are probably related since you share the same last name.
posted by George Hotelling on August 31st, 2004 at 1:51 pmYeah, I have no idea how hard it is for students to vote here, since I’ve just had a Michigan driver’s license the whole time I’ve lived here, but I suspect that some of these other college towns in the story would be less than enthusiastic about electing Bush if they really thought about it.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on August 31st, 2004 at 3:36 pmI’ll be interested in what the average wait at the Union is this election. I remember long lines, but others have reported no problems in recent years.
posted by Anna on August 31st, 2004 at 4:05 pmWhat areas vote at the Union? I’m pretty close to campus and I vote at this place on North Main.
posted by ann arbor is overrated on August 31st, 2004 at 4:29 pmWhen I was an undergrad, I think it was mostly the dorms — south u, e. quad, etc. I never lived on campus, though, so I’m not sure
posted by AnnaI on August 31st, 2004 at 11:10 pm