Youngstown State U. Students Exercise Right Not To Vote

This story was written by Samantha Pysher, The Jambar

The choice between two major candidates for president is leading some students to a third optionnot voting at all.

"I think he's too young and inexperienced, and he contradicts himself," said freshman Nicole DiMailo of Barack Obama.

DiMailo had her own opinion of Obama's opposition in John McCain.

"He acts like he has his nose stuck in the air, like he's better than everyone else," she said.

DiMailo admitted she decided not to take part in this election when Hillary Clinton withdrew from the race.

"I quit paying attention to the election after Hillary left," said DiMailo.

DiMailo said she voted in the last presidential election and the primaries.

Other students said they aren't voting because they don't feel that their vote matters.

"I feel like the middle-class gets left out," said sophomore John Dunfee.

"Unless you're really rich or really poor, no one really cares what you have to say," Dunfee said.

In the primary, Dunfee voted for Mitt Romney and now feels that his vote didn't help his favorite candidate get elected.

"My vote didn't count then, so why should it count in the general election?" he questioned.

Though Dunfee said he doesn't feel like voting for someone that he doesn't support, given the choice, he said he'd "have to vote" for McCain. Dunfee isn't the only student who doesn't support either candidate.

"I look at [voting] as a waste of time," said junior Carl Agnone.

"The electoral college is going to pick the winner regardless of the popular vote," he said.

Agnone claims he has stuck with his decision not to vote ever since President George Bush was elected to office in 2004.

"I hear McCain would be another Bush," said Agnone.

Agnone added if he had to vote, he would vote for Obama.

Marissa Opper, sophomore, also said she's decided not to vote in the upcoming election because she doesn't care for either candidate.

"I don't like their policies," she said. "I listen to them and I think to myself, 'I don't like what I hear.'"