For the University community, getting excited about an election that will not decide the presidency and appears disconnected from any specific national issues has not been easy.
The student turnout at tomorrow's election is projected to be the lowest ever, at about 40 percent, said John Brehm, associate professor of political science.
The low turnout reflects nationwide trends, he explained. Elections without presidential candidates on the ballot typically draw a lower turnout, and the Clinton scandal's demoralizing effect on Democratic voters may further dampen voter enthusiasm, Brehm said.
But this year's predicted low turnout is not anomalous. College students "don't have an immediate stake in the community," he explained. "It's tough to know what the issues are, what the candidates stand for."
Another explanation for the projected low turnout is that there is no specific national issue that needs clarification, Brehm said. "It's not a referendum election like '94, when the Republicans came out with a clear set of policy ideas."
Some students say they plan not to vote in an election about which they are uninformed.
Trinity freshman Brendan Kiburz said he had not registered to vote because "this particular election I really know nothing about."
Other students are registered to vote in their native states, but feel estranged from politics back home. "Even if I was going to vote, who would I vote for?" asked Trinity sophomore Myrna Serrano, who is registered in Florida. "I don't watch T.V., and the papers I read are from Duke. I felt like when I was at home I knew more what was going on."
Political mudslinging may drive others away from the polls, Brehm said.
Joy Cooke, radiology aide at the Medical Center's clinical cardiology laboratory, said she did not plan on voting because she was confused by negative advertising campaigns.
"On T.V., everyone else is calling everyone else a liar," she said. "Voting is a gamble-it's better for people not to vote than to vote for the wrong person."
Although some may neglect their right to vote, others believe it is an important duty. "Voting is my voice in government," said Trinity senior Rodney Goings. "If I don't vote, it's like shutting my own mouth."
Connie Gaddy, an employee at the Levine Science Research Center Cafe, said she votes partly in tribute to black civil rights leaders. "Martin Luther King, Jesse Jackson worked hard fighting for black rights, and all their fighting would be in vain if we didn't go out and vote," she said.
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