CollegeCandy » rock the vote

Get the 411 on the Midterm Election

Colleen Leahey, Reporter — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:00:01 +0000

With Election Day a mere 2 weeks away, the fight for control of the House or Senate has transformed from a casual brawl into an animated Ultimate Fighting match. Considering even the professionals are unsure what the future of this election holds, the candidates have resorted to duking it out in hopes of resolving this uncertainty themselves. But, instead of throwing on their boxing gloves and heading to the ring, they are taking a route that keeps their hospital bills from skyrocketing: the media.

Political ads around election time are famous for their often-nasty messages, intending to take down the opposition. Interest groups act as a sidekick, informally backing certain candidates by criticizing their opponent. With all the smack-talk, it can be really difficult to decipher fact from fiction.

Amid this chaotic media mess, there are several sources that are not only reliable but also non-partisan. They provide voters with the facts, avoiding the echoes of emotion and party allegiance.

Here are a few must-read sites for any college student planning to vote this election– hopefully, that’s all of you!

Project Vote Smart
Votesmart.org provides candidates’ voting records, their political stance on all issues, and their approval ratings by interest groups. Seriously, there is no better site to inform you about your state’s candidates, leaving out the mess of opinion and sticking to the cold hard facts.

FactCheck.org
This site sifts through the truths and lies of campaign ads. It allows readers to be informed of false advertising and not fall for the tricks of media campaigning.

CNN.com
In case it wasn’t obvious in my previous posts, I rely on CNN for much of my political knowledge. After checking out the aforementioned sites, head to the following interactive links on CNN.com and delve deeper into the midterm elections.

The Races
This interactive map to all the midterm elections (Senate, House, Governor) allows you to find out who is running in your state. Also, the site provides visual representations of party control in the House and Senate. There are also lists of the races to watch, accompanied by a blurb about the two candidates that are competing for the seat.

The Polls
This area of CNN’s “Election Center” has a myriad of political news articles about the majority of the races, relaying where Americans stand in certain races and why they’re voting in such a way.

My Election
After being prompted to type in your area code, you will find a wealth of news, polls, and opinion pieces about the candidates from your state. Also, you can find out what’s at stake this election, voting information, and fund raising numbers per candidate.

Voting by party, rather than issue, is dangerous. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s essential to understand who you’re voting for and where they genuinely stand on the important issues. Before heading to the polls on November 2, make sure you check out these helpful sites and know who you’re voting into power.

Why Vote? 5 Good Reasons to Hit the Polls

Colleen Leahey, Reporter — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:00:10 +0000

November 2nd is quickly coming. Yep, the Midterm Election — when you get to vote for your favorite Senator, Congressman/Congresswoman, or Governor for your state — is almost here! Although there’s a ton of hype about the election in the news, it often flies over the heads of many college students (and, dare I say, females). Unless you have CNN, the NY Times, or The Huffington Post as your browser home page, chances are you’re wildly in the dark concerning the election issues.

Luckily, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the biggies.

But, none of these issues really matter unless you actually choose to exercise your vote. So, here are 5 reasons to get out (or online to fill out an absentee ballot) and vote!

It’s Your Right
As a liberal democracy, America allows each citizen to have an equal voice in society. Certainly, some are a bit louder than others. But, that voice is represented in the form of a check mark on a ballot: the vote. This right, which can seem insignificant in our contemporary (and cynical) society, is so important that it has caused social wars for those without it. Now, considering every American citizen receives the possibility to exercise this awesome right on their 18^th birthday, everyone is on a level playing field. When you vote, you’re not only relishing the freedom of America, but the freedom of governmental liberalism.

You Want a Job
Tired of hearing adults at so-and-so’s graduation party console you with the now-classic “Well, in this economy, it’s just so tough to get a job”? Applying for exorbitant numbers of jobs, complaining, and moping around your room will not get them to pipe down. But a package that stimulates the economy by creating jobs, which is a point of partisan contention in this election, will shut them up. And, such a plan will help your future. It’s a win-win. However, no one can win if you don’t get out and vote.

You Get a Sticker
And who doesn’t love stickers?

The Issues Matter
These issues can’t just be ignored. They may seem trivial to your life at the moment, but they will greatly affect your life in several years. Most legislation does not take affect immediately. So, your vote now will decide your taxes, health care, (and even) salary, etc., in 5-10 years. It may seem like a hassle to fill out an absentee form, but it’s 100% worth it in the long run.

Apathy is Not Awesome
In Obama’s recent interview with Rolling Stone, he urges citizens to “shake off this lethargy” and vote. Obviously, his personal purpose with this statement is to target Democrats since there is a very high chance that the party will lose their majority vote in Congress after this election. But, Obama’s message should resonate with many students our age — no matter your party. We’re educated, we have a decent amount of free time, and all these decisions will decide our future in America. Yet, many of us will remain on our couch November 2, 2010, watching Dexter OnDemand instead of helping mold our country. Not. Cool. So, get out and vote. Especially in this election, when your vote will be extremely important in determining which party will have control of Congress, and therefore what kinds of legislation will be passed in the next two years.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, I have one message for the CollegeCandy readers. Exercise your right and VOTE! Yes, it’s a total cliché, but it’s one that can help change our country and our futures.

Candy Dish: It’s Time To Vote, People

CC Staff — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:40:05 +0000

Seriously, people, let’s Rock the Vote tomorrow.

Paris Hilton hates how guys use her for sex!

Everyone’s preparing for election day.

Heidi Klum is scary.

Dead people are voting in Ohio!

The funniest Wikipedia page ever.

Are you an informed citizen?

You can be a Guitar Hero…for real!

In case you need a little push to get out and vote.

The election is gonna require some heavy drinking.

Voter Registration in Virginia Defies Expectations

CC Staff — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:40:29 +0000

If you’re from Ohio, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Florida, Indiana and Colorado, today’s the day to get your sh*t together and register to vote.

Virginia voters have definitely heard to the call to get up and out, as many registration booths have been “overwhelmed” by the amount of people trying to insure their say in this election. According to the Los Angeles Times;

“Virginia has logged more than 300,000 new voters since the year began. The state does not record party affiliation, but it says that 41% of the new registrants are under the age of 25, and an additional 20% are between the ages of 25 and 34.

The influx of young voters, a core part of Obama’s voting coalition, is an encouraging sign for the Democratic nominee in a state that has not picked a Democrat for president in more than 40 years .”

It’s always encouraging when young people put down their ipods and blackberrys and decide to take responsibility for a nation they’ll soon be controlling, and it’s even more encouraging that a Democratic candidate unlike any other is the one that gets them fired up.

No matter what party you affiliate yourself with, it’s got to make you happy that someone has finally (seemingly) lit the fire under the ass of America’s youth.