This fall, America will vote for a president and Indiana willface a possible change of party that the state hasn't seen in overa decade.
Political Science professor Roger Hollands said that people needto be involved in changes of government at both the state andnational level. They need to know what the government is doing, thedecisions leaders in this country are making and the costs of thosedecisions, Hollands said.
"We need to be more active in international relations," Hollandssaid. "One of my graduates is in Iraq right now. We see studentsgoing all over the world in the military."
Grant Neely, assistant professor of political science, said thatstudents need to be aware of current military and foreign affairsissues.
"For college kids, the military situation impacts them a lot,especially with sending kids their age over to fight in a war,"Neely said. "If you have an opinion about that either way, I wouldencourage you to get out and vote."
At the state level, the issue of the economy is criticallyimportant, Hollands said, especially for students.
"We want college to be and stay affordable for Indianaresidents," Hollands said. "Higher education is reaching a pointwhere students simply don't feel they can afford it."
Last year, Governor Kernan suggested a cap on college tuitionfor public universities in Indiana. Mitch Daniels is involvingyoung voters and youthful ideas in his campiagn for governor. Therace for governor is still a toss-up, however, and issues probablywon't draw student voters, Neely said.
"State issues usually don't capture young people's attention,"Neely said. "The presidential election draws more voters. Danielshas had a lot of young people enthusiastic about his campaign, buthe needs to get out and make sure they're registered before hecounts on those votes."
Neely said the biggest challenge for college students isabsentee ballots.
"Most college students are registered to vote in their homecounty and don't realize they need to either transfer theirregistration or request an absentee ballot," Neely said.
It's easier than it used to be to get absentee ballots, and thecollege Republicans and University Democrats will be activelyinvolved in voter recruitment this fall, Hollands said.
"More students need to go to the polls," Hollands said. "This isgoing to be a critically important election. These are momentoustimes for the state, the national congress and the president."
For those who think their vote matters more in a close election,this is definately the year to vote, Neely said.
"The government needs to be responsive to the needs of thepeople," Hollands said. "People of all ages need to get out andvote."
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