By Alex Nagler

There are many myths and misconceptions about registering to vote on a college campus. Sources, whose intentions are to obfuscate the process have been preventing students from voting in a location that they live eight months out of the year. A student lives on a campus for the majority of a year, shops in its local stores, uses its local facilities, and contributes to its local economy. They have every right to vote in the area they live. So, with that, let’s look at three major myths about registering to vote on campus.

Jury Duty

The first claim is that registering to vote makes you eligible for jury duty, forcing you to subject to one of the more tedious aspects of our democracy. Jury duty, though an essential part of our judicial process and the civic duty of all Americans, is boring. Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if you have a driver’s license, they have your number. Plus, Stony Brook is a state school controlled by the state government, the same government that controls the judicial system. They’re going to send you your assignment regardless of if you register to vote or not. So the claim, “I don’t want to be called up for jury duty” doesn’t work.

Can’t Claim Dependent

Dependency status is something that all families of college students rely upon. It’s the right of your parents to tell the government that you’re their problem, and therefore they deserve $3500 off their income taxes. Obviously this is a very good thing for parents, but some students have been told that if they register to vote, they’ll be unable to let their parents claim them as dependents. This is simply not true. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law has this to say on the issue:

“If you make less than $3500 in a year and your parents provide more than half of your support (money spent on your food, housing, clothes, health care, tuition, books, laundry, car, etc.) for that year, you are a qualifying relative and are your parents’ dependent no matter where you live. If you earn more than $3500, it’s true that your residency could have some effect on your parents’ ability to claim you as a dependent, but voter registration is only one of many factors that will be considered.” Registering to vote is not going to keep your folks from claiming you.

Lose Your Scholarship

Scholarships are, for those who have them, the vital lifeblood of attending school without destroying their own or their parent’s savings accounts. New York doesn’t have any rules about loss of scholarship for registering or reregistering elsewhere, and unless you’re from Rhode Island, you don’t have anything to worry about. Place of registration does not affect any federally given financial aid, such as Pell, Perkins, Stafford, or SMART. It doesn’t affect private loans either. It doesn’t even affect FAFSA. The only time you could be in jeopardy here is if you received a private scholarship based solely on where you live.

So, there we have it. Jury duty, dependency, and scholarship are all no longer reasons you shouldn’t register to vote on a college campus. Neither are health or car insurance. Sorry if I just took away all of your excuses.

Now get up off your ass and register to vote. The New York State deadline is October 10. 

By Marcel Votlucka

With voter turnout and public confidence in their elected officials at an all-time low, one wonders:  is there truly a viable candidate this election season who represents the People? 

Answer:  of “horse” there is!

Meet RUFUS, independent candidate for Presidency of the United States – and possibly the most unique candidate you will ever encounter in this frenzied “horse-race.”  Born and raised on his father’s ranch in rural Montana, RUFUS is running for P.O.T.U.S. to fight for the interests of the people closest to his heart – small town Americans fed up with Washington snobbery and eager for a real “hoedown” on Capitol Hill!

“It started with the small time ranchers and rural cowboys and farmers,” explains Cheryl Brown, RUFUS’ campaign manager and personal assistant.  “Y’know, the people most ignored by the media and the politickin’ politicians in D.C.  They were at the forefront of the ‘Draft RUFUS’ movement last year.  Before we knew it, we had petitions coming in from all over the country begging for RUFUS to shake up the boring ol’ horse-race.” 

Indeed, RUFUS’ rising success is thanks to a dedicated base of supporters drawn to his simple yet powerfully inspiring message – “Pulling America out of the MUCK of bipartisanship!”  Without any central direction from the candidate or his team, his supporters have created a massive Internet following, making RUFUS the number two most Googled candidate behind Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX).  But with this popularity has comes sharp criticism of RUFUS’ admitted lack of political experience and the “unknown” factor – RUFUS has never held a single elected office.

“His idea of a sound foreign policy involves whinniying and whining as if we can simply scare the terrorists away like so many rodeo clowns,” says Vice Presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE).  “Maybe that’ll work out in Montana, but this is Washington.  We need proven leadership and experience to do the job of protecting Americans from the likes of Al Qaeda.”

But that matters little to RUFUS’ most devout backers, such as Noah Whitegrass of Paducah, KY, “He’s the only true maverick jockeying for position in this race!  We need a fresh start; shake things up with a true Washington outsider like RUFUS!  How many candidates can say they were born and raised on a ranch and made their living working at rodeos?  How all-American-apple-pie can you get?” A Facebook group called “I Support RUFUS for Prez in ‘08!” has recently appeared; a testament to the candidate’s sudden popularity.

Pundits have mixed feelings about RUFUS.  “He’s a real dark-horse candidate. It’ll be exciting to see how this plays out,” says George Stephanopoulos, of ABC.  Bill O’Reilly remarked at a recent book signing, “I wonder if these pinheads at the RUFUS campaign are just going for the lowest common denominator here?”  “He’s as full of sh*t as the rest of ‘em,” retorts Keith Olbermann. “The only question is:  bull or horse?”

Fellow Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain have so far refrained from weighing in on RUFUS; perhaps not taking him seriously due to his low standing in official public polls.  Moreover, RUFUS is not officially on the ballot in any of the 50 States because of his failure to meet controversial ballot access requirements.  Instead, voters may place ballots for RUFUS as a write-in candidate.  His campaign managers have turned this seemingly mutable tactic into a major selling point; a political “maverick” and “outsider” struggling to get the people’s voices heard – as his first televised political ad asserts – “one way or another…and that ain’t no horse-hockey!”

Independent Presidential candidate Ralph Nader was quick to point out “the partisan biases that are inherent in ballot access laws – you have the two major parties, that control ballot access, lock out competing candidates, lock us out from the debates, put innumerable hurdles in our path.  This is a real tragedy, an insult to democracy, and I welcome fellow candidates like RUFUS who are willing to saddle themselves with the responsibility of challenging this bipartisan gridlock.”

Whether you’re Obama, McCain, or RUFUS, the stakes are high and the path is unsure in this election.  But don’t be surprised if our modern-day political Seabiscuit pulls through to a photo finish this November!