Editorial: Endorsing the vote

As newspapers across the country endorse either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney for the presidency, The New Hampshire has decided to remain neutral in the upcoming presidential election. We have strong convictions on a number of different issues that face the country, but we feel that we have a more important purpose to serve in this upcoming election than promoting one candidate over the other. 

The issue that most college students have on Election Day is not who to vote for, but whether to vote at all. Some feel that their vote does not matter. Some feel that they are too uninformed to vote. And others think that who is president does not affect them enough to care about the election. All of these are gross misconceptions. 

Every vote does matter. This election could very well come down to hundreds of votes, much like the 2000 election, when George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by the narrowest of margins. And for those voting in New Hampshire, there is a reason the candidates and their constituents have been making frequent pit stops in the Granite State over the past few months. New Hampshire is a swing state and it’s still unclear to whom its four electoral votes will go on Tuesday. Every vote will undoubtedly matter on Tuesday in New Hampshire.

For those who feel too uninformed, our election guide in page 5 of our print edition should be a good primer on where the candidates stand on the major issues. Visiting the candidates’ websites and doing some research on sites like Politico.com and Politifact.com will help as well. It takes minimal effort to understand the candidates’ respective platforms and the issues that this country faces. 

The most erroneous belief that you can hold is that it simply does not matter who is elected to office. Obama and Romney may agree on some topics, but differ on a wide range of issues, such as education, health care, energy policy and a plethora of social issues. Those are issues that affect everyone in the country. It is a shortsighted decision to abstain from voting because you think who the president is has no bearing on your future. 

Voting is not mandatory, but it is a right that students should not take lightly. It is a chance to choose the direction this country will go in over the next four years. And the results of this election will affect the people of the United States well beyond the president’s term in office.  Let your voice be heard on Tuesday.