Student Involvement and Leadership

Don't Be a Ghost Voter

Ghost voting is when you do not vote, vote ignorantly or vote against what you believe.Here are a few types of Ghost Voters:

The Sideline Ghost Voter: Non-Political—you may care for certain causes, but are either disgusted with current political atmosphere or view yourself as a non-political person. Either way, you’re out of the conversation.

The Talk-A-Good-Game Ghost Voter: You can debate to the mat on issues in your Sociology class or enjoy ripping political pundits apart in the UC Commons. But, where is your voice when it comes to putting your vote where your mouth is?

The Potato Couch Ghost Voter: No-show—You can’t bring yourself to the polls or even fill out a mail-in ballot. Voting is just not important to you. Your
vote won’t matter that much.

The Posse Ghost Voter: Peer voter/strict party-line voter—Going with the flow is your M.O. You’re part of a group of people or political party whom you like. So what if their political opinions and yours don’t match?

You will only vote as the group or other party members would, even when candidates & measures voted on contradict your own values. In other cases, your state voting laws says that you must choose a party line to vote.

The Clueless Ghost Voter: You are completely lost as you scan the ballot and have not looked into the issues or candidates at all. You may have made it to the polls, but the issues haven’t crossed your mind before that.

Didn’t know you were a ghost voter? Busted?

Let go of how you once saw politics. Explore lots of different issues because, like it or not, how they are voted on will affect your own future. The upcoming Election 2008 is a web of issues tying back you.

• Would jobs stay in America if immigration were more limited?
• How would costs of the Iraq war affect funding for health care services or higher education?
• How is the weak economy affecting decisions made about our environment?
• ...Your concerns and questions!

Issues overlap themselves. Delve into one new issue and find yourself crossing borders into the others.

Don’t let others speak on your behalf. Revive your vote and let it speak for you!