Letter to the editor: February 4, 2008

By Nathan Markham

Monday, February 4, 2008

It astonishes me how apathetic people are about the party primaries.

Hasn’t anyone during a general presidential election ever thought, “We’re picking one of these two? Seriously?”

Now is our only chance to do something about it. This is the first time since 1952 that neither party had an incumbent president or vice president running, and both the democrat and republican races are too close to call.

Yet so many Americans, perhaps too used to watching sports, seem to have forgotten that we have a say in the outcome.

In Florida, for example (which really ought to know that every vote counts), less than 20 percent of the population voted in the primaries (check out www.cnn.com).

For those who saw The University Daily Kansan last Tuesday, Kansas’ caucus system is admittedly weird.

Nothing says “party like it’s 1799” like holding a caucus.

But follow the directions, and you’ll see it doesn’t take that much time, and the effect could be enormous.

Five elections in different states have been decided by 15,000 votes or fewer, which is significantly less than the student body population at KU.

For many young college students, this will be our first opportunity to vote in a presidential election.

Don’t waste it.

Sincerely,

Nathan Markham

Lawrence junior in chemical engineering

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