Midterm elections are approaching in less than two months, with Oct. 7 being the last day to register. Rock Island residents, including Augustana students, preside in the 17th congressional district of Illinois of which the election deadline is Nov. 4.
Students can register to vote on-campus, since the Financial Assistance Staff is certified as a Voting Registrar by the Rock Island County Election Office. To register, two forms of identification can be brought to Lisa Gray in Seminary Hall Room 102 between 8:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. or between 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m on weekdays. Staff can submit the forms to the County Clerk’s Office, or they can be submitted at www.elections.il.gov.
To vote for candidates in another district by casting an absentee vote, one must either call the local clerk’s office and request a mail-in voter registration form, or visit www.longdistancevoter.org/absentee_ballots, which will offer access to necessary forms. The last day to register for an absentee vote is Oct. 30.
Christopher Whitt, associate professor of political science, defends the importance of voting by stating that “throughout the history of the United States, many people have sacrificed their lives and livelihoods to either fight for their own right to vote, or to fight for the right to vote for the masses.”
Whitt, who is also the advisor to the College Democrats, said others must “encourage people to vote, but also while encouraging them to vote, encourage them to look at the issues.”
President of the College Republicans Eric Mozwecz said this starts with becoming a more attentive and active member of society.
“The problem with a lot of people is that they are not informed about politics, policies and the politicians that are running,” said Mozwecz, a senior psychology and political science major . “People need to understand that our future is determined by who we put in office.”
Moswecz added that he “wants every citizen to vote, but I also want them to make an educated decision on who they are voting for.”
The decisions government officials make can directly influence college students.
“So many decisions that are made on a fairly regular basis in local, state and national politics have a direct impact on our students, in terms of student loan decisions, student loan rate increases or debt forgiveness,” said Whitt.
Multiple sources agree that democracy is not an entity that functions without any maintenance. Cass Sunstein,  prolific American legal scholar, noted in The New Media Media Theory Reader that “the text of any founding document is likely to be far less important, in maintaining a republic, than the actions and commitments of the nation’s citizenry over time.”