Looming election demands educated vote

By Amanda Melchor     10/30/08 7:00pm

In a few days, a special event that only appears once every few years will come to pass. No, I'm not talking about Hello Hamlet! or a surprising but expected announcement of yet another building to be erected on our lovely campus. I'm talking about the Nov. 4 election that will change the destiny of the country and shape our future. With only a handful of days until the 2008 presidential election, it is more important than ever to get politically educated and motivated to vote.Now, while I am encouraging everyone to exercise his or her often taken-for-granted-or-ignored right to vote - something people in Zimbabwe and other politically unstable nations across the world wish they could exercise as easily we can - I am not saying that you should show up on Election Day at the polls and select whichever candidate you think has the better window-dressing and overall image. An uneducated vote is as worthless as an unused vote because it is backed by no substance, conviction or understanding of the issues and concerns this country faces.

Take a break from that oh-so-important Facebook-stalking and seriously read about the candidates and their voting histories. This in and of itself can be extremely tricky since we are conscious that some politicians often say one thing, do another and generally contradict themselves in order to accrue as many votes as possible. But if you find yourself blanking on where to start (which is perfectly understandable in an age of sound bytes and spin), head to the place where many Rice students consistently go when in need of a little clarification and a springboard for further and more serious research and inquiry: Wikipedia.

Yes, the entries can be biased and are probably skewed in either favor of or opposition to the specific candidate, but along with basic information, the pages also provide links to other Web sites like the candidates' official pages, voting records and separate pertinent information. Other online voting guides to check out include Project Smart Vote and On the Issues, both of which are non-partisan and non-profit. And though we can never expect a Web site to be purely objective, these sites are a great place to start to gather information about candidates and their stance on issues that are important to you, like the environment, energy, reproductive rights and the war in Iraq.

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And as history shows, nothing in presidential elections is certain, and every vote counts. Take the Chicago Tribune's famous "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline immediately after the 1948 presidential election. Various exit polls and polling groups across the country predicted Dewey as the winner and the Tribune ran with this information, proclaiming his victory only to have the scoop invalidated with the actual election results declaring Truman the winner. A more recent example of mistaken certainty includes former presidential candidate Senator John Kerry. In 2004 when Kerry faced off against current President George W. Bush, I remember watching CNN and Fox News and constantly hearing about how sure people were that the Massachusetts senator would secure the election due to the large amount of discontent with Bush and the expectation of a huge turnout from the "youth vote." But the banked on youth vote failed to rally to Kerry's cause and party, and - when combined with some still-questioned voting irregularities - Bush succeeded in securing another four years as president. By reading up on our candidates and doing basic research into their views and position on issues, we can cast an educated vote and precipitate or prevent events like this for our chosen candidate. The uncertainty in close elections like these and the current race between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain stresses how important every vote is and that no matter how "in the bag" an election may appear, a person's educated vote can buck the pundits' and polls' expectations.

At this point, the election is one of the closest in history and in a time of evermore pressing concerns like global warming, war and civil rights, it is extremely important to express our views through an educated vote at the ballot box. We can whine to each other about the faults of our government, but the only real way to change anything will be by voting on Nov. 4 and selecting the candidate whom you believe has our best interests in mind.

Amanda Melchor is a Hanszen College senior and Opinion editor.

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