To Vote or Not to Vote: Student Leader Opinions

Story by Broadside Assistant News Editor Sonya Hudson. Photo by Student Media Photo Manager Courtney Erland.

Our elected student body president and vice president have differing opinions on the 2008 Presidential Election.

Student Body Vice President Claire Forman decided to not vote in the presidential election while her counterpart, Student Body President Zack Golden, is an advocate for voting. Forman has personal and economic problems with the two main candidates and the election in general.

“As far as [Barack] Obama’s concerned, I think he is a Socialist,” said Forman. She cited his tax policy as the main reason for the Socialist charge. Obama’s tax plan includes raising taxes for those individuals with an income level higher than $200,000.

“Simply implementing that policy provides a disincentive for good business practice,” said Forman. “Basically what you’re saying is you have succeeded, so I’m going to punish you by taxing you.”

“So while his tax policy encourages people to enter the market at the lower level and start small businesses, it does not give them an incentive to expand and actually do good business because their income is going to be taken from the government once their income actually gets to that point.”

“That is Socialism plain and simple,” said Forman. Obama’s tax policy is the primary reason Forman will not vote for Barack Obama.

Forman does not have a problem with either candidate’s foreign policy plans.

“I think the international community would be fairly responsive and good-natured toward either one of them,” said Forman. “So in that since, I’m pretty happy, but the economic side of things, as far as Obama is concerned, sort of outweighs that positive aspect.”

McCain is not the problem for the Republican Party, as a far as Forman is concerned.

“I don’t trust [McCain’s] vice presidential candidate, I do not trust Sarah Palin,” said Forman. “I think that was possibly the worst mistake he has made in this entire election. That might have been a good move to secure the Republican vote that he already had, but I don’t think that it’s going to help him win over enough votes from any of the other parties to help him pull ahead.”

The student body vice president shared her opinions on Palin.

“I think she is a disgrace to the female gender,” said Forman. “She is not representative of the fight for gender equality in this country. It may not be to the degree it was 50 or 60 years ago, but there is still definitely a separation, especially in politics, as far as female representation is concerned.”

“I do not think that she is representative of the majority of the women in this country. I would hate to think that women would find that the example that she sets is one that they need to aspire to.”

“I don’t have a problem with McCain, I have a problem with his vice presidential candidate,” said Forman. “I think in this past administration we have seen how powerful the voice of the vice president is. Dick Cheney was one of the primary proponents for going into Iraq.”

“I think sometimes people really underestimate the power of the vice president,” said Forman, careful to clarify the position of vice president in Washington, not at Mason.
Zack Golden, student body president, is an advocate for voting.

“I think that it is your responsibility to your community to vote and have your voice heard,” said Golden. “Also I don’t think that you can complain about what happens if you don’t [vote].”

Despite Golden’s advocacy, his vice president is adamant about not voting, citing economic arguments against voting.

Forman noted the Median Voter Theorem as a legitimate reason for not voting in such a large election.

The Median Voter Theorem explains why political candidates tend to have similar policies that appeal to the median voter in an election process. After the primaries the candidates from both parties tend to rein their policy proposals in toward the middle in order to appeal to a broader voter range.

Forman cited a commercial in which Obama had seemed to employ this theory. “So basically what [Obama’s] admitting to is that in order to get a majority vote in a two-candidate election, his policies have to reflect elements of both the left and the right, both Liberal and Conservative.”

“So his policy, in essence, doesn’t even reflect the true beliefs of his party or maybe even his viewpoint on how things ought to be done,” said Forman.

“That creates a problem for me personally because I don’t want to vote for somebody who isn’t positive enough in their own beliefs to be able to separate the good from bad and the right from wrong,” said Forman.

The Median Voter Theorem, though an argument for not voting in a two-party election, can also produce more competitive elections as moderate appearing candidates are introduced.

As a proponent for voting in any and every election, Golden would like to see more competitive congressional districts. The student body president explained that the more competitive the districts are then the more moderate legislators would be elected, which would lead to more legislation actually implemented.

For the presidential election, or any election really, Forman articulates the Median Voter Theorem as just one economic reason for not voting. Another economic reason is shown by a complicated mathematical equation that shows exactly how effective any individual vote is in an election so large.

“It’s something like one in ten million chances that your vote will be that 51 percent,” said Forman.

“I don’t think that you can look at voting that way,” said Golden. “I think you kind of look at [voting] as your say, who you want to hire to represent you.”

“I won my election by nine votes,” said Golden. “You really never know when it will come down to your vote counting. I think you should be on the safe side and always vote.”

• Read why GMU Economics Society President Kevin R. Hilferty isn't voting in the upcoming election.
• Are you voting? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.