| Tuesday, 07 October 2008 09:44 |
If you are not planning to vote on November 4th I would kindly ask you to reconsider. I promise that in this article I will not patronize you and talk about civic duties and cuddly reasons why voting is important. It is important to remember that your local and state government often has a real and direct impact on your life and finances. I will provide you with some nice and startling facts about the difference that your student vote and voice can make in our great state of Minnesota. Let me hit you with some knowledge.
You think that your vote doesn’t count. Guess what, it does.
In the 2006 election several Minnesota races were decided by less than 100 votes. One race in particular was decided by 37 votes (District 38A). That is about one classroom full of students. Imagine if your English class were in this district, you could have changed the outcome of that race. Some local races were decided by even smaller margins. These races illustrate the impact that a small number of people can have on an election. So get out there with your friends and vote.
As my mentor said, “If you are not at the table, you are on the table.”
When you vote, it demonstrates that you mean business. Here’s an example. Students are a group that generally speaking does not vote in large numbers. That, coupled with the state budget crisis in 2002, led to some choices that hurt students badly. Since students did not vote in high numbers and they had a limited presence in the state budget negotiations, they shouldered the majority of the cuts to the MnSCU system via tuition increases. This increased the average per year cost by over 100% between 1998 and 2008 to over $4000 per year.
What happened after the 2006 election when students started to vote in larger numbers and have a greater presence at the negotiating table?
In 2007 Minnesota students passed one of the first textbook cost control bills in the country. It is important to note that this effort overcame the stiff resistance of the text book publishing companies who have been busting up this kind of legislation for years. Also important to note is that the Minnesota legislation has been copied, nearly word for word, and has been championed at the federal level. Several senators including Senator Durbin of Illinois and Minnesota’s own Senator Norm Coleman have made this bill one of their priorities. The bill was passed in August of this year. Yet another example of the impact that students can have when they are involved in the political process.
In 2008 students secured a tuition increase of 2 percent at the state two-year colleges. This increase was the smallest increase in ten years and happened in spite of another large state budget shortfall. All of this can be attributed to students getting out and voting as well as making their voices heard within the process.
It doesn’t matter what party or candidate you vote for, just that you vote.
In Minnesota, both Democrats and Republicans are responsive to student needs and issues. While you may have an individual preference, it is important to note that we as a community of students need to have the support of both parties in order to be successful. Here’s why.
The work that students do within the political realm of Minnesota is mostly within the state legislature and the MnSCU Board of Trustees. The legislature is the place where decisions are made regarding the funding of the state’s higher education systems (the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System). It is these initial allocations of money that make up the base budget of your college. It is important to note that the legislature is currently controlled by a Democratic majority.
On the other side the MnSCU Board of Trustees is responsible for setting tuition for the colleges and creating programs and initiatives to foster accessibility to higher education institutions. Trustees are appointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty, who is a Republican. The governor is also responsible for approving the funding bills that are passed by the legislature. As you can see, both parties have significant say over education funding. If we anger or alienate ourselves from one party it would prove to be very difficult to get any work done.
I hope that in these few paragraphs I have convinced you of the difference that your vote and your voice can make in our political process. Remember to get out there and vote for the issues you care about and the candidates you believe would do the best job. If you are not sure about whom that may be, find their websites and check out the voter guide included with this edition of the Students’ View. If they are running for state office, give them a call, seriously. They will listen to your concerns if you are a voter, and if you vote they will listen to your concerns as a constituent. SO GET OUT THERE, BE HEARD, AND VOTE!
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