By RJ LARSON, Guest Reporter
MACOMB, Illinois (NEWS3) — Many college students are going to be voting for the first time in the upcoming presidential election. However, many don’t understand how to vote, or why they should vote.
Heather Mcllvaine-Newsad, a professor of anthropology at Western Illinois University, is helping students answer these questions with a video on why they should vote.
“It’s really important that students understand the importance and responsibility of voting,” Mcllvaine-Newsad said. “As a member of the McDonough County league of women voters and with the coordination of some students on campus, we are creating videos to help inform the public.”
According to the U.S. Census, just 61 percent of eligible voters voted in the last election. Newsad says it’s very critical for college-aged Americans to vote because they are a majority of the population.
“In 2020, Millennials and Gen Z students are the largest population of the voting populous, and the future really belongs to you, and this is your opportunity to make sure that you are engaged in the political process,” Newsad said.
Students can view the voting video on the WIU webpage at http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease and the league of women voters Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LWVMCD.
Newsad hopes that students will realize how important it is for them to vote in the upcoming election.
“You may not think it matters now, but four years from now it really may matter,” Newsaid said. “This country was founded so that everyone had the opportunity to participate in the political process, and when we disenfranchise ourselves I think that’s a real disservice.”
For more information about how to register to vote and the voting process, students can visit vote411.org.
