The day has finally arrived. It is Nov. 6, Election Day, and it is time to get out and vote.
This year has been a tumultuous election season and a lot is at stake. The presidential election has grown closer and closer each coming day and now it is time to find out who will be the new leader of the free world.
Both Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama have been campaigning like crazy these past few weeks, especially in the swing states. Both the states of Ohio and Florida will have a heavy hand in deciding who will win this election.
In California, the electoral college will more than likely go to Obama. However, the propositions are going to be what most California voters will turn out for.
With measures on the ballot that could change California’s budget, the death penalty, the three-strikes law and auto insurance – the list goes on – California could see a lot of change.
The proposition most affecting us students, Proposition 30, will increase the state sales tax and the income tax for people making more than $250,000 annually. In turn, if the proposition does not pass, the Cal State University system will lose $250 million in funding from the state.
That is why is it is very important that every single registered voter at Cal State Long Beach goes to the polls today.
Our voice does matter, and there is no better way to show it does than heading to our polling places in droves to cast our votes.
Whether or not your candidate wins, whether or not your proposition passes, it means a lot to walk around campus wearing an “I voted” sticker.
For too long students have had the mentality that our vote does not matter. But it is that attitude that has kept us from voting in the first place.
Maybe it is a fear of not knowing the issues, maybe it is just not caring in the first place. Whatever the case, it does not matter. Do some research – it’s not that hard – and vote.
The polls close at 8 p.m. tonight. Hopefully all registered 49ers will have found the time to reach the voting booth. We may or may not know the election results by then, but it will be nice to know that our vote will be counted.
Whether this is your first election you’re voting in or not, this will certainly be one to remember.
If you need to cram right before heading to the polls, just like a midterm, you can visit our election coverage on our website: daily49er.wpengine.com/news/election-2012.
