Selfish
Voting a privilege, hold the prize

Ed Cunningham, a democrat running for Sen. Phil Gramm’s Congressional seat, will be on campus today conducting a voter registration drive.

His TCU tour is one of many planned this year to encourage young adults to take an interest in the future of the nation by exercising their right to vote.

However, while his intentions are on target, his agenda needs to be rethought.
It’s one thing to be an advocate for voter registration, especially toward college age students who are among the lowest when it comes to voter turnout. Yet, it’s another thing to be a candidate while on the job. Pick your role and stick to it, Sir.

By registering to vote at Mr. Cunningham’s booth today, students will be eligible to win prizes including tickets to the NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament. But are incentives necessary to get people to vote? It’s one thing to register for a credit card for a free T-shirt. Registering to vote to win tickets to a basketball game is another thing.

The 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution grants the opportunity for 18-year-olds the right to vote. This is a freedom that should not be taken lightly. As students in this institution we are being taught to be responsible citizens. Exercising our right to vote is not something that we should be bribed to do.

If Mr. Cunningham is really the advocate for voter registration that he appears to be, then his actions are to be commended, but if he is taking this initiative out of pure interests, he should believe that it is reward enough to be granted a voice in government. No free basketball game can compare to that right.

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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002