With elections coming up in November, Miami University students will soon be deciding if and how to cast their votes. While many students use absentee voting to cast votes in their home city or state, others opt to register their vote within the Butler County area, which means they are also able to vote on local issues in the Oxford community. This fact has brought up much contention both in the Oxford community and on campus.
As many local issues deal with tax rates and educational levies, many of the local votes will have wide consequences on the community at large. Issues like the MetroParks levy, a renewal levy for senior citizens and positions for juvenile court judge, auditor and commissioner will be on the ballot for this election. Due to this heavy responsibility, the editorial board of The Miami Student strongly urges the student body as a whole to do research on the issues to vote in local elections. Although this is not a presidential election, the political fervor surrounding this coming election is very strong, and the board wishes to express a need for clearly understanding the impact of a vote and not simply using political advertisements as the sole form of education. Students must realize the votes they cast will have consequences that may affect the Oxford community for a longer time than they may attend Miami. Both the MetroParks levy and senior citizens levy will be distributed over five years, and the fact that many students will not be responsible for providing for the cost of the levy is important to take into consideration.
The editorial board wishes to encourage students to vote, but perhaps refrain from voting on issues they may not understand or refrain if they have not researched the more basic aspects of the issue. The Oxford Press publishes a voter guide including a question and answer with the candidates and basic information on the levies. The guide can be found at http://projects.oxfordpress.com/votersguide/scope/345/.
Due to the contention betwee non-student and student voters, it would be prudent for students to take time to ensure they speak with an informed voice. If students wish to take part in issues affecting the Oxford community, they should take time to research the community itself by reading its newspapers, speaking with its residents and looking at past election results.
Being able to understand the current dynamic as well as past voting history of a community is essential to avoid casting snap decisions for the Oxford community, especially if they as students would not necessarily be affected by the consequences of the issue.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.