Students Evaluate Political Awareness

Another election season is rapidly approaching. Incumbent democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will soon begin his presidential bid with the hope of regaining support for his campaign from nation-wide, as his approval ratings have been low in polls.

Because a significant party shift in congress and in the White House could occur within the next year, it is especially important for college students who comprise the latest generation of voters to be politically aware of how presidential candidates' platforms will directly and indirectly affect their lives.

In a random survey, 40 Howard students were asked to state what they thought their political awareness level was on a scale from "poor to excellent" and declare whether they were registered to vote in any U.S. state or the District of Columbia.

The results illuminated that 32.5 percent of the participants were completely unaware of politics while 35 percent said they had average knowledge of the government. 27.5 percent of participants claimed to have a good level of political consciousness, and five percent of participants claimed to have an excellent comprehension of politics.

While low percentages of students claimed to have well to excellent knowledge of politics, of the 40 students who were eligible to vote, 95 percent said that they were registered.

Senior psychology major Chanelle Williams is in that 95 percent, voted in the 2008 presidential election, and feels that her political awareness ranks within the "poor" category. Williams believes that some people were and still are obligated to vote for President Obama because of his race, but she insists that the main reason why she voted was because of the historical significance it held for her.

"It is definitely important why we should vote because, as black people, we should pay homage to those who fought for voter registration rights and we should have our vote count at the end of the day," Williams said.

Freshman Tajah Best and sophomore DJ Alexander, both psychology majors, said that they knew the least about the election, the candidates, and did not watch the news. DJ is registered to vote; Tajah is not registered but intends to do so.

Both Best and Alexander feel that it is the responsibility of the individual student, not the school, that creates a political awareness and opinion; however," Best said, "I'm taking Intro. to Political Science, and I hope that it will prepare me to be more politically aware and active for the upcoming election." Alexander said that he does not watch the news nor is aware of this election because he is "uninterested in biased opinions."

Alexander also believes that students should form their own opinions separate from the university's because there is a lack of communication and awareness between administration and students.

Sophomore political science major Russell Grandberry believes he has a good sense of American politics and is one of the few students that stands for reforms held by the Republican Party, specifically held by Ron Paul.

Grandberry believes that voting for a presidential candidate just because he is black is a display of ignorance and has these words for those who are uninformed of political history.

"Obama is the white man in disguise. Over history it is shown that blacks have been elected into office to trick black voters into thinking change will come. By the way, it never does," Grandberry said.

Howard students retain differing levels of political knowledge and awareness, and it can be argued that no one can be too conscious of American government and politics. In order to make an informed decision on Election Day, it is suggested that all students begin to immerse themselves in the ongoing election process, understand its implications, and take action through voting because every vote counts.