With the Nov. 6 general election one month away, students at Oklahoma Christian University are preparing to meet the Oct. 12 voter registration deadline and have their voices heard.
All 435 House seats, 34 of 100 Senate seats and 36 state governorships are up for grabs in this year’s midterm elections, making it a significant election for the country. Oklahoma Christian students are joining millions of young Americans headed to the voting booths to make their mark on history.
Students on campus reported a variety of components helping them research what politicians to support this election season. Junior Justin McLeckie said he focuses on economic and political issues over social issues when he votes.
“I pay a lot of attention to where a candidate stands on education and educational funding,” McLeckie said. “Also, things like government spending, what they can do for the community and taxes—I’m very passionate about those. I don’t really look at social issues. There are people that vote for candidates solely based on abortion or things like that—that’s not really how I vote.”
In contrast, sophomore Gavin Meisels said he takes social issues, such as drug reform, into consideration when entering the voting booth.
“I don’t use marijuana, but I’d like a candidate that legalizes it because in the past, the prohibition of marijuana has led to criminalization of minorities on minor drug offenses,” Meisels said. “I believe that, instead of throwing people in prison, they should be put in rehab.”
Education funding is a “hot” topic in Oklahoma this election season due to the teacher walkout held in the state capitol earlier this year, making some students wary of what candidates they choose to support.
According to NewsOK, at least 157 teachers are running for state office this year, bringing the topic of education even closer to home.
Senior Valerie Stanglin, a member of the Oklahoma Christian College Republicans organization on campus, said support for education is an important factor in deciding what candidate she will endorse for office.
“It may not seem like it counts a lot, but it does in the way that we get word out about different candidates and what they stand for by voting and talking about voting,” Stanglin said. “In Oklahoma, the education is not cared for as much as in other states and I know they’re trying to work on changing the way teachers are cared for, so I look at candidates based on that aspect.”
McLeckie said, regardless of different political stances, he understands the importance of voting and hopes to make educated decisions at the polls this year.
“It’s very important, because it helps sustain our republic,” McLeckie said. “I do think it’s important that you’re educated, though, and you don’t go in blindly voting. So, know who’s running, what they stand for and what they’re passionate about. There’s a lot of voter apathy where people are like, ‘It doesn’t matter, whoever wins is going to suck anyway,’ and I think that’s kind of what’s been detrimental to, not just our country, but our states too—people not caring about voting—and that’s really hurt us in some points.”
According to Meisels, students should vote in the November elections, because actively participating in activities off campus helps students gain a bigger perspective than Oklahoma Christian can offer alone.
“I think Oklahoma Christian is a bubble—which is good and bad,” Meisels said. “It’s good because the bubble can be refreshing in a really tough world, but at the same time, if you just stick to that bubble you’re never going to know what’s going on in the outside world. The outside world matters just as much as this bubble that we have at Oklahoma Christian, and anything we can do to encourage our students to be a part of the world and nation is a really good idea.”
As Oklahoma’s Oct. 12 voter registration date draws near, out-of-state students are encouraged to check their local registration deadlines. Several states have deadlines beginning next week.
“I think ‘We the People’ has more power than we like to think it does,” Meisels said. “I think, as Americans, we should be looking to have a say in how we change the world.”
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