STAFF EDITORIAL: A few good reasons to vote

Philadelphia's upcoming mayoral elections deserve your attention and, quite possibly, your vote. And so, we write today to ask that you consider registering to vote in Philadelphia before the October 4 deadline for doing so passes. The consequences of registering are few. Doing so will not change your legal residence for tax purposes. And, as always, registering in Philadelphia this year does not imply that you cannot register elsewhere for subsequent elections -- perhaps in your home town for next fall's far more numerous contests. To be sure, many students have other places they call home, other places whose politics are of greater concern, even other places where they have always lived and perhaps voted. And that's fine. Solely because you will live here for four years, it makes sense to take this election seriously. But by registering to vote, you have the opportunity to take responsibility for a place that is your home for the time being. Can you really make a difference? Certainly. This election seems likely to come right down to the wire -- Katz has mounted a truly viable challenge to a Democratic candidate in a city ruled by the Democratic party for the last half-century. Will the election make a difference in your life? For seniors, it may not, but it seems certain that each class thereafter will live in a city shaped to a progressively greater extent by the new administration. In addition, voting is not only about protecting your own interests. Just as students today contribute to the planning of tomorrow's University campus, voters today contribute to shaping tomorrow's Philadelphia. Ours is not a generation of voters. Time and again, we have disdained the political process, citing disinterest or disgust. Now, students have the chance to participate in an election that does matter. We hope you take the opportunity seriously.