Collegiate Times

If I had a dollar for every time I have been asked to register to vote in the past two weeks, I would have $2.

Now, perhaps my experience isn't typical, and students have almost universally been subject to the sort of rude, anti-social behavior Erika Encinas mentions in her column (CT,  Oct.2, "Push for voter registration on campus unappreciated") Apparently, Encinas wishes to share with the student body exactly how little she appreciates that volunteer effort by students trying to get their classmates registered.

Encinas' diatribe begins reasonably enough, with a legitimate grievance against overzealous, apparently dumb-sounding volunteers. It only aggravates her further that these people have the audacity to wear campaign buttons and openly express their political preference. Encinas clearly prefers to announce hers via the Collegiate Times.

The issues she raises are legitimate questions -- fortunately, with solid answers. They serve only to distract from the central issue of the article, which as far as I can tell revolves around a student's frustration at not being able to drink her tea in peace.

National political campaigns, such as those involving a presidential election, involve significant fundraising and outreach efforts. The leasing of office space in downtown Blacksburg by both major presidential campaigns is further testament to this fact: that is, if you are lucky enough to first avoid the hordes of dumb, irritating Obama supporters asking whether you've registered in Blacksburg lately. With about 30 percent of students from out of state, and vastly more from outside Blacksburg, I think further justification for these registration drives is unnecessary.

Encinas bitterly laments that she has only seen Obama supporters participating. She mocks the voice of "hope" and even manages to blame poor Hokie volunteers for the TV commercials she sees at home after escaping from Au Bon Pain. Furthermore, I'm not quite certain what point she proves by pointing out a lack of John McCain volunteers on the streets, although perhaps it's better taken up with the organization actually responsible.

Encinas asks why she hasn't been asked to vote before now, and inevitably concludes that her vote only matters in presidential elections. Her original point is to ask the question, "Why now?" Well, as she explains, this is the first time she has been bombarded by a voter registration drive. In this, my personal experience diverges. I distinctly remember being asked her same "infamous one-liner" during both the Virginia gubernatorial campaign in 2005 and the U.S. Senate election in 2006. The difference now is that there are stronger feelings of partisanship, much more at stake and, after all, this sort of thing only happens once every four years. Coincidentally, another reason for voter drives is that almost the entire student body has never voted in a presidential election. Architecture students and super-seniors aside, voter registration serves to introduce youth to a process that they will hopefully be involved in for the rest of their lives. A process that, unfortunately, statistics show many voters our age won't even participate in.

Lastly, Encinas is out of line in her attempts to explain the intentions of the Obama campaign and, yes, Barack Obama himself, through the lens of her immediate experiences and frustration in Blacksburg, a location not usually known for its importance to the election of the next president of the United States.  She goes further, and attempts to convince the reader that yes, Obama is insulting you by asking you to vote for him. Yeah, right, Obama is not the one who just called every unregistered voter in Blacksburg "uneducated, uncaring (and) non-civically inclined."

Other than the forgetfulness of an earnest volunteer, a busy cafeteria on campus and the veiled frustrations and mislaid blame of one particular student, I see nothing wrong with the voter registration drives ongoing in our area. Next time someone asks you whether you've registered, try to keep in mind that it only lasts three more days, only happens every few years, and is carried out by people like you and me, except they care a little bit more about something they believe in. Past that shining example of passion, courage and motivation, the only truth is that politicians need votes.