Feudal Thinking Not A Great Model
It seems some folks down in Whitman County need a civics lesson. We’ll start with this: In America, you don’t have to own land to cast a vote.
But some critics of a new plan to encourage voter registration among Washington State University students in Pullman worry that dorm-dwellers and the like will recklessly vote for every bond issue that comes along, oblivious to those who will have to pay those taxes.
That worry - and the accompanying griping - misses the point of what citizenship is all about. It regresses society to a stage where the more you shell out as a taxpayer, the more of a citizen you are. And that, in itself, is ridiculous.
Pullman is home to 17,000 students, all stakeholders in the community where they live. But town leaders and county officials have chosen derision over inclusion; an editorial in the Whitman County Gazette painted WSU students as lazy, uninvolved and spoiled.
With hostile rhetoric like that, it’s no wonder tension abounds between WSU students and local residents.
Of course, the issue isn’t really about who gets to vote and who doesn’t. All WSU students could register to vote in Pullman if they want. The controversy is more wrapped around the argument of how easy to make voting for college students.
The answer is obvious: Make it very easy. Like falling off a log, or checking a box on a form.
A group of civic-minded student leaders have pushed for special voter-registration forms to be included in students’ orientation materials each fall. The forms will have a box to check that will automatically guarantee the student an absentee ballot. Other Whitman County voters will have the same option.
The push follows other national campaigns for greater involvement of young adults in the election process. Studies have found that people who start voting early do so throughout their lifetime.
So, anything a community can do to encourage citizenship, and make it easier to take part in democracy, is commendable.
But with voting comes responsibility, and WSU students who do opt for the Whitman County ballot must also accept the burden of educating themselves on the issues. A planned student-run education campaign in residence halls and living groups will go a long way in easing local fears. A better attitude among locals might help even more.
, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Anne Windishar/For the Editorial Board