4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, October 9, 2000 (Tbe idtictguu DuiI Students shut out of campaign by their own apathy 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 daily.letters@umich.edu Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan A few weeks ago I championed the pres- idential debates as the final bastion of democracy in our increasingly undemocra- tic electoral system. And when I said that, I was addressing MIKE SPAHN Editor in Chief EMILY ACHENBAUM Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Dailys editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. college students, hoping that by watching 90 min- utes of debating young people could make up their mind - not only on who to vote for, but to vote at all. That certainly hasn't happened. Partisans are screaming about the debates: Gore won, Bush won, Gore lied, Bush is dumb. But nothing new has come from the bickering, thought Homosexual rights deserve support Mike Spahn prp the environment, but that's really energy policy discussion. And even still, some candidates at least acting like they care about students. Al Gore has been here. So has Ralph Nader. And even George W. Bush, who wouldn't come within 50 miles of this liberal bas- tion, may just break that rule for Michi- gan's increasingly important electoral votes. But why care about college students? Why come to a college campus? Sure activists and environmentalists abound, so Ralph Nader should come to try to ignite them. Sure this campus is traditionally lib- eral, a stalwart for Democratic candidates, so Al Gore should come to appeal to them and address their concerns. But it just doesn't make good political sense. In 1996 only 32 percent of eligible vot- ers age 18-24 turned out to cast a vote in November. One out of every three. Those that did vote accounted for 7 percent of the final voting population. That's nothing. Our age group gets roundly defeated in the voting competition by the over 65 group. It's not even close. So do you think it's a coincidence that this campaign seems centered around pre- scription drugs and Medicare? Whole events, whole weeks, are dedicated to these issues. Some inroads have been made. Gore, on this campus, listened to and addressed stu- dent concerns for the MTV "Choose or Lose" forum. That 90-minute conversation did more to address the concerns of stu- dents than the entire campaign to that point combined. But there's a problem: Only one of the candidates was there. The great part of a debate is that it's just that: A debate. Hearing only one side of the issue doesn't help a voter make a decision. And while some groups, including Youth Vote 2000, are working to energize young people and to get the candidates to debate youth issues, the likelihood of that happen- ing is slim to none. So young people need to take things into their own hands. Every political science professor will tell you that elections are about turning out the vote, energizing your base and getting your people to the polls. It's pretty simple. The fact of the matter is 18-24 year olds just don't vote. And then students complain. Tuition is too high. The drinking age is too high. Drug laws are too harsh. And on and on and on. Well, it's time to wake up. None of these problems will be addressed, much less solved, if politicians do not feel at all beholden to your con- cerns. If you don't vote, then you don't matter. Why should they care? All they really want is to win elections, and voters make those decision. Tomorrow is the deadline to register to vote in Michigan. The deadline to request absentee ballots from other states is loom- ing. Nader, during his attempt to woo an Ann Arbor crowd last month, said, "I tell young people that if you don't turn on politics, politics will turn on you." He's almost right. The only problem: It's already happened. Don't let it continue by doing nothing. Get registered and go vote. --Mike Spahn can be reached via e-mail at mspahn@umich.edu. his week, the University's les- T bian, gay, bisexual and transgen- dered students will celebrate National Coming Out Week. Campus events such as rallies, discussion groups and lectures will inform the community about the struggle for equality and acceptance - a struggle that gay and lesbian students continue to fight. Although the gay community has made advances in recent years, it continues to be plagued by misunder- standing and intolerance. At the Uni- versit y, this has been demonstrated. Eveitsa by the controversy over Prof. David Halperin's "How to Gender Bei. B Gay"course, vodyO which has been met