Get out there and vote. Well, as long as you don’t have class.

That is the message that was portrayed to students on Election Day. I have to say as a first time voter, I was disappointed by how anticlimactic election day was. If it were up to me, classes would have been canceled for the historic day.

“State schools like Delaware got the day off for elections,” freshman Rebecca Keiser said. “I think not having school off was just another reason for some students not to vote.”

Yeah I know what you’re thinking. I just wanted a day off from my classes.
But I only have one class on Tuesday, so believe me, that is not my main incentive for arguing. I live in New Jersey, so getting home to vote in the morning was not realistic. I could have, on the other hand, if I went home the night before knowing I did not have class the next day.
“I would have gone home to vote if we had the day off,” freshman Christina Sanchez said. “I feel like voting in your own state counts more and is less of a hassle than the absentee ballot.”

I filled out an absentee ballot and it did not seem very official or that I had made a contribution. I guess I always envisioned my first voting experience as me behind a red curtain, selecting my candidate and letting my voice be heard.

During the weeks prior to the election, “Register to Vote” signs and political posters could be seen around campus. However, it sends a mixed message when a campus advocates voting yet treats the day as if it were like any other.
This past election was arguably the most historic one we will see in our lifetime. So why did I spend the day in class going over a short story, ignoring the fact that in a few hours there would be a new leader of the free world?

In every election, it seems to be a common theme for advertisements and politicians to stress the importance of young people voting and taking advantage of their newly earned right. However, I feel like college students have the hardest time getting a chance to vote since most are away from home.

Quinnipiac could have sent the message of the importance of practicing our rights by acknowledging the day with higher regard.
For the students who did rush home to vote and missed classes, I commend them for their commitment and hope they achieved the satisfaction of voting that I did not.