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Issue date: 9/5/08 Section: Features

Houston, we have a problem.

Many students are finding themselves away from home and therefore, away from their voting districts as the presidential election edges closer. With less than two months left in the countdown, students must consider alternatives to voting at home on Election Day.

Freshman Kelci Owens and junior Elizabeth Owens are sisters from Highland, a small town near Roscoe. Both are registered in Nolan County and will have to use absentee ballots to participate in the election. Kelci Owens wasn't sure exactly how to define an absentee ballot, but older sister Elizabeth, gave her an idea of how the process works.

"You have to register in the county in which you reside," Elizabeth Owens said. "If you are not present in that county at the time of election, then they can send you a ballot so you can vote. I think everyone needs to do their part, so by doing an absentee ballot you're participating."

Pretty close: An absentee ballot is a way for someone to vote who is incapable or unwilling to go to the polling station. For college students in Texas away from home, this is good news.

Texas is the second largest state in America at just under 269 thousand square miles. Most college-age voters in the Lone Star State have to drive far and wide to their polling stations. However, with the help of an absentee ballot, their troubles will be miles away instead of their polling place.

QUICK CLICKS
www.vote411.org
www.canivote.org
www.sos.state.tx.us
www.fvap.gov/contact/addresses/tx/index.html

From The Left

The Democratic view
Fresh off the plane from the Democratic National Convention, senior Heather Guthrie is still buzzed by the whirlwind of events during the past week. While in Denver, Colo., Guthrie volunteered on the Democratic National Committee.
"I ended up doing access control, which got me great access to parts of the convention," Guthrie said. "I got to see Bill Clinton speak, and I got to see Obama's acceptance speech."
Guthrie is from Littlefield, a small town north of Lubbock. Driving home to vote is not a practical option. This election year, she will consider re-registration as opposed to voting on an absentee ballot.

Where are you registered to vote?
Guthrie: "I'm from Littlefield, so I'm registered in Lamb County. But I'm thinking that I'm going to register in Tom Green. It's not just national elections that are important. Things that happen in Littlefield don't affect me anymore because I don't live there, and haven't for three years. The things that affect me are the things in San Angelo. I really care about what happens in this district, so I'd like to have a voice here."

Why is voting important to you?
Guthrie: "That is such a complicated question, you know? Europeans always joke that all we Americans do is vote, vote, vote, but I think it's a great thing that we have a voice at all levels of our government."
"There are a lot of issues facing this country now that are very central to our generation. So we have to be at the center of this debate of whether this is right or wrong. Regardless of what you believe the answer is, having the debate is important. And while I think that voting in presidential elections is important, I think that voting in all elections is important."
Announcement: The Young Democrats voter registration drive, Friday, Sept. 5, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the UC.

From the Right

The Republican view
Junior Justin Till spent his summer driving back and forth to Monahans. His family and friends, however, were not the only items on his agenda. Till is a self-proclaimed quarter of the Republican Party in his hometown, and remains involved on a political level. This year, his commitment paid off when he was nominated to attend the Republican Party of Texas state convention as a delegate for his district.
The 167-mile drive to Monahans is a hindrance even for Till. This year, he remains undecided whether or not he will go the extra mile for his country, or let the postman do the work for him. Either way, Till maintains that the point is to participate.
"It's kind of a shame," Till said. "There are a lot of people who are away from home and can't get to the polls, and they don't feel like flying or driving, so they choose to just sit it out."

Where are you registered to vote?
Till: "I'm registered back home because I don't like the whole registering in your college town. The thing is, you have thousands of kids moving to any college town, and they start swaying the local elections. But when they leave, they aren't affected by the local policy anymore. I just don't like it, so I prefer to vote back home."

Why is voting important to you?
Till: "I'm of the philosophy that although it is important to vote in the presidential election, it's more a matter of participating in the actual process. It's a matter of keeping up with all the issues so that when voting time does come around, you know why you're voting for the person you're voting for."
"So, as far as voting itself, it's a matter of having yourself heard because obviously this person is going to affect a lot of things that affect you subsequently. Making sure that you keep involved in the policies that affect you; keeps you from becoming complacent."

Announcement: Voice your Choice voter registration drive hosted by the College Republicans, Friday, Sept. 25.

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