To Vote or Not to Vote

By Amelia Mack

The presidential election is quickly approaching, and some Youngstown State University students said they are opting out of voting in this election.

These students do not see their decision as laziness or neglecting their civic duty, but instead see it as making a choice to not be pressured into supporting ideals that they disagree with.

Josh Bosheff, a senior at YSU, said he cannot vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in good conscience.

“The country deserves much better than what is being offered, and I can’t choose one over the other. There is no lesser of two evils in this case to me,” Bosheff said. “Evil is evil, and I won’t take part in that process this election.”

Jordan Ustaszewski, a YSU chemical engineering major, said he is still debating on whether he should vote or not. He said he doesn’t want to vote for a candidate out of obligation, but because he thinks they will contribute to our country as president.

“I believe that in our country you have the right to vote as a citizen, but you also have the right to choose to not vote,” Ustaszewski said. “If I come to the point where I believe that neither candidate can do a reasonable job or that neither candidate can make our country better, then I will not vote.”

For the past several weeks, the YSU campus has been filled with different organizations and groups trying to help and encourage students to register to vote. Two of these groups are the YSU College Democrats and the YSU College Conservatives.

Laurencia Canzonetta, president of YSU College Conservatives, said the only negative reactions they received while helping students register to vote was students shaking their heads as they passed by.

“Although students are roughly only 20 percent of our population, we are 100 percent of our future. This election will greatly impact the future of the United States,” Canzonetta said. “It’s important for students to vote and have their voices be heard because our futures are at stake.”

Dylan Edwards, president of the YSU College Democrats, said the middle ground between these candidates is vast, and that makes the decision difficult for certain people.

“It’s definitely more polarized on each side, because you have two candidates who represent the furthest reaches of the values on their end of the spectrum,” Edwards said. “There’s almost too much middle ground to bridge.”

Both YSU College Conservatives and YSU College Democrats are hoping that all of YSU’s students will go out and vote in this election.

“We are at such an important point in the story of our country,” Edwards said. “We have to choose the path that we believe as citizens and voters is going to produce the best results for the country that we are tasked with caring for and building.”