With the airwaves dominated by ads for or against the presidential candidates, it’s almost excusable to forget the fact that there are dozens of other issues and races on the ballot next week. But being informed on many issues is the hallmark of a good citizen – it is not simply voting on the “big race” that counts this year.
From congressional elections to the future of marijuana, students must be informed and vote on the down-ticket races as well as the next president.
They may not be as intrinsically exciting as the race for president, but elections to determine the makeup of the 113th Congress are important as well. In Colorado, we have several races for Representative that have commanded national attention: Incumbent Representative Mike Coffman, a Republican, vs. Democratic challenger Joe Miklosi, for example. This race has been close since the district borders were redrawn to be more competitive, with each side trading jabs in this suburban Denver district. This district will likely go whichever way Colorado goes in the general election for president, which is still a tightly contested toss-up.
Besides the races for Congress, several Colorado state amendments may also have an impact on the future of students. The most controversial is Amendment 64, which would establish a regulatory system for marijuana in Colorado. Opponents say it would damage children and be an affront to the federal government, while proponents say that the time has come for the legalization of marijuana for adults. Either way, this Amendment obviously has an effect on students, since the youth demographic tends to have a higher cannabis use rate, according to 2010 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
In addition, we have the privilege in Colorado of being able to cast a vote on judges at several court levels. While these votes may require more research into a judge’s caseload and decisions, it is certainly worthwhile and no informed voter should skip out on this process.
Finally, there may be municipal or local elections also attached to your ballot. These vary from city to city and from precinct to precinct, but these local races also affect our lives, our taxes and our communities directly. The plans or policies of local candidates can be felt directly in local government, so it’s important to conduct thorough research, and since we’re living in these small districts anyways, it never hurts to go out and meet the people running for local offices like Mayor and County Commissioner.
Democracy is not a spectator sport. This holds true in 2012, as voting requires active participation, research and an understanding of the issues. Part of this understanding is the fact that other races matter as much as the top-ticket election; voting on Constitutional Amendments, Congressional races and local elections must not be forsaken by busy students this year.
