As the november election approaches, and as the 2012 presidential election looms in the near future, the University should begin to evaluate the way elections currently work for Princeton students. Voting is a vital part of our American democracy and Princeton students should be informed about their responsibility and the process of voting. Because many students are not eligible to vote until after they have started school at Princeton, the University should make an effort to inform students about the voter registration process and to work with election officials to establish a centrally located election site on campus at which all Princeton students can vote.
Despite making up a substantial portion of the Princeton Borough population, very few student voices are heard during elections. The majority of students on campus are not registered to vote. This lack of participation is unacceptable. Though P-Votes is to be commended for its work encouraging students to register, the University must take a more active role in informing students and making the process of voting easier and thus more appealing to busy Princeton students.
The University should also work harder to make voting locations more accessible to students. Unfortunately, because the borders between various local voting districts run through the middle of campus, students currently have to vote at five different locations depending on where exactly they live. While some students can vote on campus, in Carl Icahn Laboratory, all students living in Borough Voting District One, which contains the majority of student dorms, must vote off campus. The polling place is admittedly a short walk from most dorms, but it seems likely — as a mere matter of psychology — that many more students would vote if the polling place were moved to a central campus building. If it is possible to set up voting booths in Icahn, it would surely be possible to set up booths in the basement of Frist Campus Center. Furthermore, because almost all residents of District One are University-affiliated — the few blocks off-campus contained in the district, between Alexander Road and University Place, are largely occupied by University faculty and staff — voting in Frist would likely cause little inconvenience to our Township neighbors. If the University truly cares about students being civic-minded and engaged, the administration should make an effort to get a polling location on campus.
Voting is one of our most fundamental civic responsibilities. Princeton students should not be discouraged to vote because they don’t understand the process of registering in New Jersey. Students also should not have to venture somewhere off campus on election days to vote. To solve these problems, the University should work more closely with P-Votes to disseminate information to students more effectively; in addition, the University should push for a polling location on campus. Though it may be hard to enact these changes in time for this November’s election, changes should be made before November 2012.
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