To the Editor:
A recent Herald poll asked the question "Do you plan on voting in the upcoming election?" and found that 5.5 percent of students said they don't plan on voting, 15.1 percent said they are ineligible to vote, and 6.1 percent said they weren't sure if they would vote. That's 26.7 percent of the Brown population that isn't voting. Take into account that roughly 13 percent of Brown students are international students (let's say they're in the 15.1 percent who are ineligible to vote) - but even then there are many international students who hold U.S. citizenship. That means roughly 14 percent of Brown students aren't voting.
And why not?
Brown has a liberal and open dialogue that focus on a plethora of issues from "heteronormative stereotypes" to environmental issues. But there seem to be 14 percent of Brown students who can't be bothered to do more than talk about such issues.
Is there a lack of civic duty and passion on campus? People talk about making things better or complain about the way things are, but apparently 14 percent just wish to complain without making the effort. I have a friend who doesn't want to vote because they believe that "the government will track them and tax them," or some other nonsense that hours of explaining could do nothing to abate.
There needs to be a call for action. Even the political groups on campus have not made a loud enough presence. Every vote matters and, there's more than just the presidential race going on.
Luke Perez '15
