With less than two weeks left until the November general election, it has become fashionable for newspapers to endorse candidates for various public offices, offer advice on amendments and referendums and spout endless rhetoric pushing their political agenda.
The Minaret will do no such thing. Instead, we urge you to make your own informed decision. Read up on the candidates and the referendums. There are many important questions that will be settled in the voting booth in a few days.
At The Minaret we feel it is inappropriate to publicize our political views for the sole reason of telling you whom to vote for. It is borderline unethical, and certainly denigrating to the electoral process. You should formulate your own opinion based on the facts, not based on the talking heads and the printed opinion of newspaper editorial staffs.
Visit JohnMcCain.com and BarackObama.com. Avoid the blogs. Avoid the opinions of others.
The Internet is a wondrous resource for digging for the truth about your candidate or your question. In Florida, there is an impending referendum involving gay marriage rights. In Massachusetts, dog racing may be seriously altered by the votes cast on Nov. 4, 2008. In Maryland, the future of the horse racing industry hinges on the success of a slot machine gambling referendum.
Absentee ballots are just as important as voting in person, and cannot be neglected as an integral part of the electoral process.
Do your own research. Last week, we printed a full page listing the issues and how each major presidential candidate stands on them.
The best citizens are the informed voters, and we hope that every UT student fulfills this obligation.
Vote with your brain, not with your heart. It has been said and written over and over again that this is the most pivotal election in United States history. Not only do we each have the right to vote, we have the responsibility and the duty to complete the electoral process.
The last presidential election was in 2004, and very few students were past the 18-year age required to cast a ballot. For many, this will be the first time inside the booth, or the first time mailing out an absentee ballot. This is a glorious way to take the responsibility for determining the future directions of the country by casting a vote.
A lot of faith is put in pre-election polls, and even more in exit polls. In 2000, the election was almost ruined by an unnecessary devotion to these unofficial results.
Major news corporations declared George Bush or Al Gore the winner, only to retract and switch their results. The news channels picked their winners more than a month before the votes were counted and finalized.
The Minaret has goals for the election. First, investigate and pick a candidate who has a plan that fits your vision of the American future.
Second, don’t get caught up in the hype of unofficial polls before November 4. They are projections, and only those who actually go to the precincts will be the ones who make the final decision. The choice is not only yours, but so is the responsibility of dictating your future.
Editorial: No Endorsement Necessary
Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Updated: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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