To the editor:

As a recently elected member of VSG, I must admit that I was taken aback by the editorial which said that the VSG election did not count. Is The Hustler insinuating that I will not be representing my quad in the House? Speaker Ross did an excellent job in responding to this in the Wednesday issue. However, if one were to merely look up the page from her letter, the headline read "Youth voter registration encourages reckless voting." I believe The Hustler needs to decide whether or not they want people to vote. In one instance, they chide students for not voting in the VSG election and doubt the effectiveness of VSG, and in the next they claim that a low voter turnout is better, since only those who are concerned about the issues will vote, so therefore they will make better decisions.

Interesting. I may not be enrolled in any logic classes, but it would seem to me that by the logic of the Wednesday editorial, the VSG election was, in the eyes of The Hustler, a success! (I believe most members of the Vanderbilt community would consider it a success already, since people voted and people ran) After all, it would be horrible if students based their decisions soley upon what the candidates list as their platform. Yet this is exactly what happens in any public election. Just because "two-thirds of people over the age of 65 vote," does not mean that they are necessarily more knowledgeable about the issues than a college student who does not vote. In fact, a young citizen would be less likely to vote completely along party lines, more likely to research issues, check facts, and have a greater world knowledge. As for an educated vote being worth more than an uneducated vote, the last time I checked, the Constitution stated that all votes count the exact same (at least in your state), no matter who casts them. Voting is a privelege, and every voter should strive to be involved in the process. However, the first step is getting voters (of all ages) registered, and why not do so at a college campus, where there is a relatively captive audience? Once someone is registered, he or she will probably be more interested in the political process, since there is now a vested interest.

I would hate to tell the staff how to do their job, but here's an idea for the Nov. 5th Editorial: Presidential Election Doesn't Count.


Tyler Boyd
Branscomb Quadrangle Area Representative, VSG
Sophomore, College of Arts & Sciences
Vanderbilt University