Almost 26,000 students are enrolled at Auburn University and most of them won’t cast a vote in the SGA election next week.
Only 33 percent of students voted last year. Granted, every major candidate ran unopposed. Participating probably seemed like a waste of time to many people, and understandably so.
But 34 percent voted in 2014. The year before, it was about the same. The significant majority has been indifferent for a while now, and their apathy is only going stronger.
I don’t know why. I don’t think it’s because they don’t care at all. In fact, I believe most Auburn students secretly care a great deal about their University.
It could be the general fatigue and lack of interest that’s slowly consuming our generation. We don’t want to care. It’s cool to be bored.
Or maybe we’re jaded by the barrage of colorful ads we’re accosted with as we make our way down the concourse during campaign week. You can’t get to class without collecting at least a dozen fliers, a few buttons and, if you’re lucky, a piece of candy or two.
Maybe it’s a little bit of both.
I don’t know the answer, and if somebody else does, they’re not telling me.
I do know this though: We go to a great school — for the most part — and it seems like these candidates want to try their hardest to keep it that way.
Then again, maybe not.
But somewhere, deep down in this student body, remains an optimism. Underneath the eye rolls and the narrow escapes from overzealous campaign staffers, there is concern for the state of the University.
So I beg of you, read about these candidates. Ask them questions. Go to the debate.
And don’t ever think your vote doesn’t count. Just look at Iowa.
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