Home or Ohio? Swing State Natives Explain Their Voting Decisions

by MA'AYAN PLAUT Worth the Wait: Oberlin students take it easy while they wait for over five hours in line to vote early at the Lorain County Board of Elections on Thursday. Some Obies hailing from swing states like Virginia and New Hampshire opted to vote in their home states rather than Ohio.

As the nation approaches November 4, both the Barack Obama and John McCain camps are kicking it up several notches in attempts to win the election. While one of the most important presidential elections in recent memory unfolds, Oberlin College students are faced with the decision of where to cast their ballots -- in Ohio or in their home states.

Various organizations in Oberlin have pushed to register student voters here in swing-state Ohio; however, students who come from other battleground states -- such as Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire and Virginia -- have a historical choice to make. The Review spoke with a large number of students in this situation about the factors that have influenced their decisions.

Many talked about how they felt politics at the local level would be the first to affect residents, leading them to vote in their home states. College senior Liam Gordon said, "I consider myself 'New Hampshire.'" He spoke about being more up-to-date on New Hampshire politics than Ohio politics; he mentioned feeling uneasy about voting in a state where he has only taken up temporary residence, as those issues and politicians elected would affect a number of permanent residents.

Similarly, College senior Lucas Brown from Virginia decided to register in his home state with consideration to local politics. A native of Leesburg, Brown feels that his representative, Republican Frank Wolf, has "misrepresented [his] district for too long." By casting his vote in Virginia, Brown has the chance to push for change. He has "faith that Virginia will go blue for the first time in four decades."

Double-degree senior Nicolee Kuester, a Colorado native, also mentioned the importance of local politics, but she decided to vote in Ohio. She expressed concern about being uninformed of Ohio's issues, but did her homework, "asking around and research[ing]...[in order to] vote responsibly about issues and candidates in this state."

Kuester stressed that Ohio would be more important in the national election: "What really cinched my decision is the fact that Ohio gets more than twice the electoral votes than Colorado does."

Work at the grassroots level, through groups such as OPIRG and the Oberlin College Democrats, both part of the non-partisan Student Voter Coalition, has also affected voter registration. Colorado resident and College senior Jamey Arent decided to vote in Ohio after coming to Oberlin. Because he did not turn 18 until after the 2004 election, Arent had never been registered in Colorado to begin with. Early on in his Oberlin career, he was approached in the Wilder mailroom about registering. He said, "All the buzz about the importance of Ohio in 2004...partially influenced my decision."

This year, College senior David Gutherz decided to vote early in Ohio; he expressed concern about voter fraud with absentee ballots. Gutherz, who hails from Virginia, has voted there in previous elections. He is "hoping it makes a difference" this time around.

The 2008 presidential election has drawn voters from every corner of the United States, and eyes from around the world are trained on what's happening. Such attention has led to both media and public scrutiny of the election process, and some people still feel that the process is problematic.

Conservatory sophomore Pat Williams said, "I feel that the system in the United States -- while being better than most countries -- is flawed. I feel that it does not properly reflect the true opinions and desires of citizens and does not fully communicate these opinions and desires to candidates, leaders [and] presidents." While Williams has registered to vote in his home state of Colorado, his sentiments point toward larger problems surrounding the voting system.

The nation's focus is on a handful of these toss-up states that will determine the outcome in November. And, as indicated, student voters are not taking this matter lightly. College junior Jonathan McCall, who is from Virginia, believes that his "vote matters more here."