With 22 states holding their primaries on Feb. 5, also known as Super Tuesday, students interested in voting need to take the opportunity to apply for and send in their absentee ballots.
Students have to vote in the primaries in order to determine which candidates go on the ballot in November, said William Ball, a political science professor at NMU.
“I tell my classes, you let people like me decide who makes the laws governing you for the rest of your life. You let people who do vote decide who runs the government,” Ball said. “Really, if you don’t vote you have no right to bitch about what the government does because you haven’t tried to make a difference.”
Ryan Pierce, a senior criminal justice major, plans on voting by absentee ballot for Wisconsin’s primary and sees the value of voting in the primaries as a student.
“I think it’s really important right now, because our votes count.not many people in our age group vote in the primaries so we have more power,” Pierce said.
Students must be registered to vote in order to obtain an absentee ballot.
Devon Kobylinski a sophomore finance major, is not planning on voting in Wisconsin’s primary because he doesn’t feel that any of the candidates appeal to him. However, he still believes it’s important for students who can find the time to vote.
“Students should vote because there are many issues that pertain to them,” Kobylinski said.
Minnesota and Illinois will be holding their primaries on Super Tuesday for students from those states interested in voting in the primaries. Wisconsin’s primary will be held on Feb. 19, according to www.politics.nytimes.com.
For instructions on how to obtain an absentee ballot and where to send it in, students can get the application online from either their state’s secretary of state website or visit www.newvotersproject.org. They can also download and print off the application forms to be sent in on the site, before they receive the actual ballot.
The last day to send in absentee ballots for Minnesota is the last mail delivery on Election Day. For Illinois and Wisconsin, the absentee ballot can be turned in up until the close of the polls on Election Day, according to www.newvotersproject.org.
