Matthew Lesko, author of a series of government loan books seen in television infomercials, showed up at a student voter registration drive hosted by Obama campaigners. David Ranucci | Daily Kent Stater

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Walking around campus, students see posters, chalkings and people stationed at booths all urging them to do one thing: register to vote.

Despite the registration deadline looming on Oct. 6, some students still have not registered to vote.

Freshman biotechnology major Lou Bobnar said he has avoided registering to vote.

“I don’t want to deal with it,” Bobnar said. “I’m kind of lazy about it.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 51 percent of 18- to-24-year-olds were registered to vote, but only 41 percent actually voted in the 2004 election,.

Political science professor Steven Brown said students may not vote because they are dissatisfied with the current government.

“People become cynical about the political system,” he said. “They think it doesn’t do any good.”

Bobnar said he doesn’t want to vote in this election because he doesn’t like the candidates.

“McCain is the same as Bush, and Obama doesn’t have what it takes to lead,” he said.

Other students just have not signed up yet.

Freshman exploratory major Bryan Huber said he hasn’t done it yet but plans to vote.

Huber said he has not signed up with the people on campus because they “just really annoy me and makes me not want to do it.”

Grant Thompson, senior English major and volunteer with the Obama campaign, said when he was trying to register students, many students felt “(they) were being bothered and it was taking up time.”

Brown said he thinks students’ age may affect their election involvement,

“(Voting) creates an inertia because they have never voted,” he said, adding that the more people participating in voting, the easier it is to stay involved.

Anastasiya Spytsya, junior Russian translation major and vice president of the College Republicans, has been talking to students about voting. She said many students don’t vote out of ignorance and because they don’t want to do the research it takes to understand the candidates.

Thompson said it is important to realize the gravity of this election and the power of one vote.

Even so, Bobnar said he thinks that with the electoral college, one vote may not make a difference because electors have their opinions, which may affect their vote.

Spytsya said she thinks votes do count, and if 100 people could get together to vote, it can make a difference.

Spytsya said “politics affect us in everyday life,” such as how much money students spend on gas.

“Students should see with this (economic) crisis they should vote, (because) without voting they won’t see a change,” she said.

Contact news correspondent Kelly Petryszyn at [email protected].