Many people have called our generation apathetic, uninformed and lazy in regards to civic engagement and politics.

To these cynics, I say: you are absolutely mistaken.

After volunteering on a dozen or so campaigns, I am positive young people care about the world around them and the problems we face everyday.

But, after every election “real adults” — people beyond the typical college age — victoriously rub it in my face that young people didn’t vote and therefore don’t care.

So why don’t students show up to the polls?

Voting only takes a minute, but with classes, work and studying it is difficult to find time to vote. It is also hard to vote when you are still registered to vote at your parents’ house (and they don’t live in Norman.) Furthermore, our relationship with civic engagement is on-again off-again based on the issues we care about the most.

This election cycle, I was excited because former OU student Stephen Holman was running for a Norman City Council seat. After Emily Virgin proved in November a student could win the Oklahoma House District, I was sure we could do the same with the City Council seat. But, only 342 out of the tens of thousands of eligible voters made it to the polls in the Ward 7 election.

Since Norman elections are often determined by a few hundred votes, we could theoretically control the House District 44 seat and Ward 7 City Council seat indefinitely if everyone in just one of the dorm towers registered to vote and actually showed up at the polls.

OK, getting everyone in a tower to vote might be a little ridiculous, but even if half of the students of Walker Center voted that would be about 400 people.

Let’s take over this town! First, we need to start a campaign to continuously register students to vote in Norman. If you are going to live here for four years, then you should vote here. You are not just voting for yourself, you are voting for the future classes at OU.

In 2008, UOSA registered thousands of voters in the weeks leading up to the presidential elections.

We can do it again.

Second, we need to raise awareness on campus about the issues that will directly impact us. In the City Council election, Norman Music Festival and public transportation became major issues. How many people knew about this? How many of us were actually aware that an election was taking place?

Shedding light on key issues is not too difficult. It is totally manageable, especially considering the many excellent channels of communication on this campus.

Third, we need to actually show up to the polls. Voting is a constitutional right and professors and employers understand this.

There really is no excuse for not casting a vote and we need to make voting a priority each election cycle!

It’s your decision, but voting ought to be a higher priority for all of us. Our voices need to be heard and need to dominate our district.

— Shayna Daitch, international security studies senior