Opinion: Students should care about local elections

If anything is clear about Chapel Hill, it is, as Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said in a recent debate, that this is a town where for every three people, there are four opinions. This is certainly true of the UNC student community as well. The University is a hotbed of debate and passionate engagement.

But most undergraduate students don’t engage much in the politics of Chapel Hill, and it makes sense to an extent for transient students.

But students also tend to be very passionate about their identities as UNC students and care a great deal about the University. The school and the town are inextricably linked, and the fortunes of one affect the other.

Students should attempt to engage in town politics and help to responsibly shape the future of Chapel Hill.

There is a sense of division between students, especially undergraduates, and the rest of the town, where the students aren’t part of the “real” town.

But students live in the town, patronize its businesses, volunteer in its schools, pay sales taxes and otherwise benefit from its resources. They should have an increased say in how the politics of how the town is run, and they have the ability to do so.

Students care a lot about things affected by local government, including the ability to live affordably, development, safety, the aesthetics of the community and its environmental quality.

Students should therefore take the time to research local candidates for office and make an effort to vote in local elections.

For as much attention as students give national politics, local governance more directly affects the lives of students for as long as they live in Chapel Hill.

For the same reasons, local candidates should also try to educate and engage with students, who, busy with school and work, might not always put paying attention to town council decisions high on their list of priorities.

Local candidates can act as both educators and representatives by informing students of the interests they have in the community.

It is the responsibility of both the electors and elected to help create meaningful policy that benefits the town and creates a future that is best for all of Chapel Hill’s community.

Together, both groups can share perspectives by simply valuing the role both play.

In this upcoming election it is important to remember that Chapel Hill is a town of students too, and they should take advantage of their votes as they consider their place in the town and its future direction.