As said by Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton, “Well it’s politricks time again, are you going to vote now?”
With the Nov. 6 presidential elections fast approaching, what is a student to do when he or she is still in search of a desired candidate?
This is the all-too-common question for many Americans who identify as undecided or swing voters.
So then who are these swingers?
Swing voters classify themselves as neither Republican nor Democrat and their vote makes up a significant number of electoral votes.
The swing voter is possibly more important to a presidential candidate because their lack of allegiance can sway the elections either way.
According to Politico, President Obama holds a favorable lead over Republican Mitt Romney in all 10 swing states except North Carolina.
Computer science junior Robert Whitney falls into this undecided category.
“I really haven’t seen much promise from either of the candidates,” Whitney said.
The junior went on to say his decision will be made a few weeks, if not days, before the election.
Among the swing voters I’ve spoken with, the issue of false political promises is recurring.
Who can forget Obama’s feel-good campaign in 2008? Fresh-faced and enthusiastic, Obama vowed to return America to world prominence. With the country involved in two foreign wars, a financial crisis on Wall Street and various other problems, swing voters embraced the message of the newcomer.
But the question still faces these undecided voters: Has America made much progress under Obama’s presidency?
Romney is also somewhat of a question mark to swing voters. If elected president, is he capable of reviving a stagnant U.S. economy? With conflict in the Middle East, will he be as trigger happy as some of his Republican predecessors?
Though shrouded in mystery, Romney has proven he will be a formidable challenge to the president.
Based on the comments on the “47 percent,” the Republican nominee definitely has swing voters in mind.
“I agree with Mitt Romney
because he is for smaller government and won’t increase taxes,” said ceramics sophomore Laura Bonnoitt. “We need a breath of fresh air in government.”
But Maurice Kirksey, political science senior, said overall he was proud of the president’s performance.
“I’m not convinced [Romney] truly wants to be a president for the people,” Kirksey said.
“He is just playing the game of politics, trying to win an election.”
The dilemma of the undecided voter brings light to a few problems in American politics.
When two parties are not in union, a dysfunctional government is unavoidable. Both Republicans and Democrats are miles apart when it comes to solutions on key problems facing the country, and solutions are often found in the middle.
Big money in politics sometimes censors voices of more moderate candidates. It is estimated that combined, the Obama and Romney campaigns have totaled $1.2 billion in campaign spending.
So what is the undecided voter to do?
In order to make an informed decision, an undecided voter should research prospective candidates — research their performance in office, their backgrounds, their political platform and any other information available. In today’s digital age, each candidate has a website that details their achievements and aspirations for a better America. Keep in mind that these sites are public relations-controlled, so read critically.
Votehelp.org, a nonpartisan website, matches the researcher’s political views with those of Obama and Romney through a series of guided questions.
But frankly, if research doesn’t suffice, not voting can be an option.
Voting Rights activists of the ’50s and ’60s would dispute this choice, but if one does not feel represented by either candidate, there is no other choice.
Why support a candidate you don’t agree with by voting for the lesser of the two evils?
A prize fighter shouldn’t enter the ring half-hearted or unprepared, so too an undecided voter should not vote solely because it is his or her right to as a citizen.
