TO THE EDITOR:
A 10-minute walk on a leaf-lined red brick sidewalk is all that separates Hinton James and the polling station for most South Campus residents. Ten minutes. On a beautiful fall day and on a college campus known for its intellectually strong student body, one might expect reasonably high voter turnout.
I did. But the pleasant woman who handed me my ballot shook her head when I asked how the numbers looked. She pointed to the machine and asked what my number had been. 60, I replied. Frustration flickering across her face, she sighed. “60. 60 in a precinct of 2,300.”
Voter apathy is a severe problem in the United States, and Chapel Hill is no exception. I’ve heard all the excuses: too busy, too lazy, too scared, not informed. Each of those excuses has a simple remedy: vote early, vote with friends, do some research.
Today’s non-voters need to realize two major things. The first is that so many people before them marched, starved and died in order for us to possess our current democratic privileges — including our right to vote. The second is that across the globe people risk their lives — most recently in places like Cairo and Damascus—for the rights that we so blatantly take for granted.
So, fellow Tar Heels, make a commitment to your community, state and country and exercise your civic duty, because a 2 percent turnout at 5 p.m. is unacceptable and embarrassing.
Samantha Harrington
Freshman
Journalism
