This week is the Associated Students campaign week. Candidates are criss-crossing the campus, meeting students, plugging for their issues and getting their names out there. It appears, however, that their “get out the vote” efforts might be in vain.

Small percentage of students vote in campus elections

There were 4,132 undergraduate students attending Biola in 2011, according to the registrar’s enrollment summary. Yet, according to a Chimes article reporting on last year’s election, the 2011 AS president-elect won with 650 votes — which was more than 50 percent of the votes. This means that only about a third of the student body voted. Only a third of students were involved in deciding who would be the head decision makers of their student body. Only about one in three Biola students took active ownership in the election process. Yet, the campus is humming this week with campaign activity. What explains the lack of voter enthusiasm?

Perhaps the reason students aren’t more active in the AS voting process is simply apathy. They assume that others who are more knowledgeable than they will make the important decisions. However, instead of trying to combat this problem and become more educated on candidates and their positions, they simply ignore it altogether.

Despite the enticement of free pie and drinks, only approximately 150 students showed up for the AS presidential debate. Will the Student Missionary Union fireside chat hold that many? If people do not have the time or desire to become educated about the candidates and what they stand for, is it better for them not to vote at all? Is having a reduced number of people voting and deciding their future leaders better than having lots of uninformed voters?

Young adults ignore responsibility to vote

This lack of interest might be indicative of a larger issue. These same students who are indifferent to their student government elections tend to be indifferent toward the U.S. government elections and taking an active role in deciding how their own country will be run. This is where we should be concerned. Our generation is becoming a generation of apathy that believes their votes as individuals do not make a difference.

The last presidential election in 2008 saw a significant increase in the turnout of 18 to 24-year-old voters, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Still, this increase only totaled 49 percent. Not even half. The lack of involvement represented by students in AS elections is an accurate snapshot of young people’s engagement in politics on a national level. This issue is not something that can be remedied by AS itself, but must be dealt with on an individual level. Even if only for a school election, voting should be viewed as a responsibility and a privilege that should not be wasted. Leadership is actually asking for your two cents, and through voting, you can give it.