Conservative revolution televised, students don't watch

The television in one Quadrangle lounge was tuned into local news coverage of the midterm congressional elections, but no one was watching. This was not an unusual sight. Across campus, yesterday's elections were not foremost on students' minds. Voter turn-out was also exceptionally low this year, said College sophomore Jeff Pokras, who helped organize the polls in Ward 27, Division 20, at High Rise South. Out of the 243 students registered to vote in this division, only 30 actually participated. Students' general apathy toward politics seemed to have school or work obligations as its cause. "There's just too much going on here to be worried about politics," said Wharton and Engineering freshman Andrew Daniels. This attitude was echoed by several students who said they feel college life is often all-consuming. "I don't know a single person who's voting or who even cares about it," said Wharton sophomore Allison Miller. "It's exam week." Some students said college can become a world of its own, causing students to lose touch with the larger world around them. "It seems like everyone was better informed before they came to college," Wharton sophomore Jon Brightbill said. "Life here can be like a black hole." Another reason for lack of participation at the polls could be the obstructions many students confronted when trying to go through the process. "There was a lot of confusion with students coming to the wrong place to vote," Pokras said. Each time students move, the Elections Commission places them into a new division and they must vote at a different location, he added. Without voter registration cards, officials were often unable to direct them to the correct location. For some first-time voters, it was an exciting new experience. "The whole idea of the process involved is interesting to me," said College freshman Cindy Mullock. "Women and minorities have had to struggle for so long to vote that it seems important to take advantage of the opportunity. It seems like too many people take it for granted."