Despite the fact that all Americans over 18 are allowed to vote, statistics show that not all Americans exercise that right. According to a U.S. Census Bureau survey of voter turnout in the 2000 Presidential election, 36.1 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 voted.
"I wish more college students did exercise their franchise," Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato said.
With the upcoming Virginia Primary Feb. 10, the question remains: Why don't more young people vote?
"There are a lot of challenges presented to college students who want to vote," said David Wasserman, campaign and party coordinator for the University Democrats.
Students just aren't used to voting, according to Wasserman. Being new to the process and living away from home are sources of confusion for many students.
"It's hard to identify with an electoral community," he said.
These factors make them less likely to be involved in or aware of local political races, he added, which to a great extent drives voter turnout.
The solution -- absentee voting, which provides a means for qualified voters to participate in upcoming elections even though they may not be able to go to the polls on Election Day.
"It is an easy process," Charlottesville General Registrar Sheri Iachetta said. "People don't realize you can get the form online and you can fax it in. That saves days."
It seems people are interested in the political scene this election season, she added, with "bunches" of University students already having applied for absentee ballots.
Albemarle County General Registrar Jackie Harris said she agreed that voting by absentee ballot is not a difficult process. She attributed college students' poor voting initiative to other factors, including feelings of intimidation by and dissociation from the process, and a lack of connection to the candidates.
Sabato offered his view of absentee balloting.
"The absentee ballot process can be mystifying to those who are not familiar with it," he said.
Sabato added that students need to be made aware of the process of voting by absentee ballot.
"Absentee voting is a necessity, given our system, he said. "It would be helpful if Student Council and various campaigns did even more than they are currently doing to explain the process to students and help them to vote."
While many officials agree that the process is easy, some students may ask if it is worth the effort of submitting an absentee ballot.
Sabato said all qualified voters ought to take time out of their frequently busy schedules to cast their vote either by going to the polls or submitting an absentee ballot.
Is absentee balloting the only thing deterring college students from voting? Do students feel, as Harris suggested, disassociated from the political scene? Are the candidates' outreach efforts enough to engage young voters?
"Presidential candidates always have great outreach efforts," College Republicans Vice Chair Ali Ahmad said. "The problems usually lie in the off-year elections, and especially with local politicians."
Harris said outreach is the biggest determinant to whether college students will participate in elections.
"Voting occurs when outreach occurs," she said, adding that "big campaigns" invest "big dollars" in their outreach efforts.
Wasserman said students need to participate in elections in order to show candidates that they are an important voting faction.
"I think it's going to be important for students to become active in order to prove that it is a valuable lack of voters that candidates need to reach out to," he said. "We need to meet candidates halfway and they need to meet us halfway."
Sabato said he thinks this year's election will see increased interest and participation among college students.
"This one has seemed to have caught the imagination of many young people," he said.
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