The Delaware County Election Board is fighting over whether students deserve an early voting site on campus. The battle is not about money. Both President Gora and SGA President Frank Hood have committed to help pay for the voting center right on campus. The battle isn't about security or logistics. An expert at the Board meeting said it was doable and that other state universities and counties were doing it. No, this battle is partisan politics at its worse. The only reason that Bill Bruns, the Republican holdout on the Board, doesn't want early voting at Ball State is because he was told not to by Kaye Whitehead. Who is that you ask?
Kaye Whitehead appointed Bill Bruns to the County Election Board. Kaye Whitehead told the Star Press on Monday that the potential on-campus early voting site was a "political ploy" and that we, as "uninformed" students, "would be more vulnerable to a concerted effort to buy votes with freebies, such as hot dogs." Kaye Whitehead conveniently was the one sitting next to the sole student speaking against on campus early voting at the County Election Board. Kaye Whitehead has strong-armed the College Republicans into retracting the public statement that their President, R.J. Crace, made with me in support of a Ball State location for student voting. Kaye Whitehead is chair of the Delaware County Republican Party and she is insulting us all.
For a Republican leader - the same Republican that appointed Mr. Bruns to his current post - to state that student voters are uninformed and would be influenced by hot dog giveaways is not only bizarre, but deeply offensive and staggeringly ignorant. Are the students at Ball State currently serving their country in Iraq uninformed? Are those of us in graduate school studying issues that Kaye has zero knowledge about uninformed? Are those of us paying tuition through the roof so that we can one day take care of our families uninformed? Are we supposed to go back to a disgraceful time when voters were subjected to tests for who is informed enough or committed enough to exercise the fundamental right to vote? I for one would like to know who the INFORMED voters are according to Kaye.
In the past couple weeks alone I've spoken to hundreds of fellow students, Republicans and Democrats alike. Students are not cynical and however we choose to vote it won't be because of cheap tricks. We want our voices to be heard.
Don't let them silence you. Show up next Wednesday, September 17th at 1 PM at 100 E. Main St in downtown Muncie for the next County Election Board meeting. There will be a decision about whether or not we will have an early voting location on campus. Every student at Ball State should attend whether you are supporting a Republican, Democrat or any third party candidate. This is a non-partisan issue that needs a non-partisan solution.
Whether you are planning on voting at home, at school or in another state make sure that you get registered to vote. The importance of this election is clearly evident in Kaye's comments and we cannot let Republicans get away with voter suppression. Let us show Kaye that we are informed and as Democrats, Republicans and Independent let us show her the full force of our generation.
Mike Uehlein is president of University Democrats and writes 'Your Turn' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
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