8B
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ELECTIONS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2004
Most students care about voting
Although some straggle, most vote
BY JULIA COELHO
correspondent@kansan.com
KANANI CORRESPONDENT
Surprisingly enough, it is hard to find somebody who is not going to vote, at least at the University of Kansas.
People like Brianne Koester, Hoisington freshman, are taking this election very seriously.
"I am going to vote. And I don't know anybody who is not going to vote. I am from a pretty small town, but here there is a lot of diversity, people have a lot of opinion.
Most students are pretty active in the election this year," Koester said.
There are still some people who are not going to vote and the reasons vary. Some of them are not voting just because they missed the deadline.
"I didn't register on time. I didn't know about the deadline," said Ali Maddox, Leawood junior.
Maddox said she had never been involved in politics until this year, when she started taking a politics class.
Bill Staples, chairman of the sociology department, analyzed the main reasons that lead people to vote or not.
"I don't know if students are any different from the general public. There is a lot of political apathy in America. They don't feel connected in the political process; they feel alienated from it, in a sense that their votes or their opinions don't really matter," he said.
Martin Korytkovski, Chicago senior, would agree with the Staples.
"I think my vote doesn't really matter. I wanted to vote conservative, but I think Bush is a liar and not a fit leader.
While if I vote for Kerry, in Kansas this is as good as not voting at all. There is also Nader, but he is just un-electable. I am coming to the conclusion that
we don't live in a democracy since I don't really have a choice of who rules the country."
Many students question if their votes are really going to count. There are some students who care more about the elections than others.
"students feel that politics is something that is out there, in the media, they feel strange to it, when we know it will affect them in the future, in funding for education, or in a possible draft," Staples said. "There have been a lot of cultural attempts to get out and vote, to reach young people, and people between 18-25 years will probably vote in record this year."
Staples also said that the election is polarized and this tends to create strong feelings among voters. Such as Jennifer Farwell, Leavenworth junior.
"Of course I am going to vote! This election will decide a lot of things, especially with the war in Iraq. This will have a great impact in our future," she said.
And Genevieve Boyle, Salina
"I don't know if students are any different
from the general public...in a sense that their votes or their opinions don't really matter."
Bill Staples chairman of the sociology dept.
phomore, spent her fall break getting ahead of the masses and voted early.
vote early.
Deb Unferth, English professor has an optimistic view toward this election.
"It does feel to me that students are more involved these elections than I have seen in the past. I think there will be students who don't vote. Some don't have the intention to vote, but some just don't make it to the polls. But I hope everyone does."
More negative ads means less information
BY CLAI OVERBY
correspondent@kansan.com
SPECIAL TO THE KANSAN
Editor's note: The following is a political analysis from a student in Journalism 801: Research 1. It does not reflect the views of The University Daily Kansan.
After watching T.V. for a few hours, you probably see numerous campaign advertisements approved by and supporting the local Senatorial candidates. After viewing these advertisements, does it make the voters feel informed about both the good and the bad aspects of each candidate? Or do they just know reasons why each candidate is untrustworthy or amoral and why they don't deserve a vote?
Through the past years, the number of negative campaign advertisement produced by rival candidates has increased. The
reasons behind the increase or the effects that it will have on voter turnout are unclear.
One reason for the increase in negativity could be that the recent candidates have more negative information about them that needs revealing. This increase in negative information could originate from politicians lying about what they believe in to make their beliefs match the beliefs of the majority of voters. They may say one thing but events in their past may show they believe something else. Could recent politicians actually have more dirt on them or is this negative information becoming easier to find?
A second theory is that voters prefer and remember the negative campaigns advertisements better than the positive ones. This may happen for two reasons. First, American society is very interested in knowing when something bad happens to political figures or Hollywood celebrities. If a person who is in the public eye has a failed marriage or gets caught shoplifting it makes the front page of magazines and newspapers. Often voters are more likely to discuss the negative information discovered about the opposite candidates rather than the good information learned about their candidate. Second, these negative campaign advertisements may stick out from the positive product advertisements during the normal television broadcast. If the viewers are used to seeing positive advertisements promoting a product and then they see a negative advertisement, chances are the negative advertisement is going to stick out in the viewers mind.
A third theory is based or research done by Kim Fridkin Kahn and Patrick J. Kenney. Their research concluded that "...people are more likely to vote
as the proportion of negative information in the candidates' ads increases and as the proportion of media criticism of the candidates escalates, holding all remaining forces constant." They also discovered that when the public's view of the ads turned from negative to mudsling it lowered voter turnout. How can campaign architects draw the line between an informative negative advertisement and a degrading mudsling advertisement?
if the increase in negative ads is in fact increasing the voter turn out then great, does that make voters informed?
The increase in negative advertisements means there is a decrease in positive informative advertisements that tell voters what platforms the candidates stand on. If this is the case then there are a plethora of voters voting for the wrong reasons.
Student's politics permeate lifestyle
BY JILL MEARA
correspondent@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
Music and politics get Sam Stepp excited.
"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do," said Stepp's all-time favorite artist, Bob Dylan. By these standards, Stepp is wildly successful.
Later, over a vanilla latte and a cherry Italian soda, he and I got to talking about politics, John Kerry, the upcoming Bob Dylan concert and the previous night's events.
I first met Stepp at the Democratic rally at Liberty Hall. Going in, I didn't know what to expect. A young guy with crazy curly brown hair and a peace sign-adorned T-shirt walked up and stuck a "Vote for Kerry" sticker on my bag.
Stepp's interest in the Kerry campaign led him to be involved in the Liberty Hall rally. When asked if he thought it was a success, he said that there was "good food, good music and liberals; it doesn't get any better than that." He was in charge of getting people involved, by greeting them, slapping stickers on their bags and getting them riled up. A wide variety of people attended the event, including political figures such as Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kansas), who both spoke at the event, along with local band Big Metal Rooster, who entertained the crowd with its upbeat music.
crowd with his upbeat music. Stepp's interests in politics go back to the beginning of his high school career.
"I began reading the news, became informed and decided that I wanted to make a difference in our country and speak out for what I believed in," he said. Though Stepp's parents never swayed him in any direction on the political spectrum, they did always encourage open-mindedness and fostered an environment of tolerance at home. He ultimately decided his views most agreed with the Democratic party and began volunteering for causes he believed in.
As a strong advocate for peace, Stepp often rallied against the war in Iraq. From attending small peace breakfasts before school to a massive peace rally in Washington, D.C., he was trying to make a difference everywhere he went. On another visit to Washington, D.C., in April, Stepp participated in the largest rally the city had ever seen, the March for Women's Lives. Stepp, along with a few hundred other KU students, went to support a woman's right to choose.
Stepp is a member of the KU Young Democrats and the Lion's Club, which is a volunteer organization that helps children with sight problems. He is also an intern for the John Kerry campaion .
His involvement as a member of the board of directors for the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America is another activity on Stepp's resume. He described the organization as a "group of Baptists on our continent who believe in peace and justice, like myself."
myself.
Although Stepp's future is uncertain for now, he knows that he never wants to be a politician and that he will never sell out his views or compromise what he believes in.
"I've never understood why caring about the environment, working for peace and respecting diversity is considered such a crazy notion," he said.
— Edited by Janette Crawford
EXPERIENCE LEADERSHIP STRAIGHT-TALK
★ ★ ★
Partisan bickering is getting us nowhere. We need strong, independent and experienced leadership in Topeka. That's exactly the kind of leadership our State Senator Mark Buhler gives us. He's leading the fight to properly fund K-12 and higher education, for better job opportunities, and for containing the exorbitant cost of health care. He'll tell you the truth and work very hard to accomplish the things you expect from state government. Mark Buhler will always take a balanced approach in representing you in Topeka.
I would appreciate your vote November 2nd. May A. Panda
WE CAN DO THIS.TOGETHER. www.buhlerforsenate.com Political Advertising paid for by Buhler for Senate, Jim Eagan, Treasurer
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