Voting has always been seen by the younger generation as a rite of passage. Yet voter apathy has been a reoccurring issue for young adults in the 18- to 25-year-old group.
The deadlines for registering to vote and applying for an absentee ballot are quickly approaching. An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is either unable or unwilling to go to the polling station on Election Day.
There are two ways that someone can vote absentee - in person or by mail. Although there is a long list of reasons why someone would be allowed to vote using an absentee ballot, there are two most common reasons that are relevant to students at DePauw. First, would be that they have a specific, reasonable expectation that they will be absent from the county in which they reside and are registered to vote in on Election Day during the entire duration of time that polls are open. Second, that they are scheduled to work at their regular place of employment during the twelve hours that the polls are open.
Students who are currently registered to vote in their hometowns and wish to have an absentee ballot mailed to them need to file an application by Oct. 29. The application can be obtained from either the Putnam County Courthouse or the Indiana Election Division Website.
"My suggestion to those that have an out-of-state driver's license, because you are going to go back there, [they] should apply to vote absentee," said Marty Watts, clerk of Putnam County Circuit Court and election administrator. In-person absentee voting opens at the Putnam County Courthouse starting Oct. 9, which is also the last day for new voters to register to vote for the General Election and ends Nov. 5 at noon. The Putnam County Courthouse will have in-person absentee voting available.
In fact, for many students, absentee voting is the most attractive option.
"I'm planning on going with absentee voting because Election Day is a busy day for me with classes, and I won't get a chance to go home and vote," said freshman Rebecca Beyers from Brazil, Ind.
However, due to recent Indiana State Law, if you are registering to vote in Indiana or voting in-person in Indiana, you must have a valid form of identification. Accepted forms of identification include: an Indiana driver license, Indiana photo ID card, a Military ID or a US passport. Interim IDs issued by the BMV are also acceptable.
Those lacking a valid photo ID can obtain an Indiana photo ID card free of charge from any BMV branch that issues driver's licenses and ID cards.
Students also have the option of registering to vote here in Putnam County. However, if they were previously registered to vote in their hometown, they will have to surrender both their voter registration in their hometown and their photo ID and driver's license from their home state.
In order to register to vote here in Putnam County, students must have a physical address because that will determine the precinct in which they will have to vote. The physical address is different than the mailing address that each student has at the Union Building. However, students must have a bill that shows where they physically reside, which due to the nature of the U.B. Box at DePauw is slightly problematic to those intending to register to vote as a Putnam County resident.
The hassle of becoming registered to vote could result in an impact at the polls because of Putnam County size. The opinions and votes of the students registered here are actually discernible in the results. Precincts 15, 16 and 18 consist of mainly of DePauw University Owned Housing. In the 2008 election, these precincts totaled 1,787 votes out of the 14,420 votes in the county, or approximately 12 percent of all the votes.
Freshman Lauren Van Fleet stresses the importance of voting.
"I hate it when people don't vote, but complain about the results," Van Fleet said.
Watts also stress the importance of voting because of the impact it could have on the future of Putnam County.
"If the younger generation does not become a part of this, then our country is not going to prosper, and you guys want it to prosper for not only yourselves but the children that you'll have one of these days," said Watts. "I encourage each and every person to take that ability to be able to vote and to use it. It's extremely important. If we want our country to go in the right direction, you need to have a voice."