FGCU students and professor weigh in on upcoming election

As the nation gears up for a pivotal election, a question lingers among young voters. Will students turn out to vote?

WINK News walked the Florida Gulf Coast University campus to uncover why some students are all in while others are convinced their vote won’t make a difference.

We spoke to dozens of students on the FGCU campus and asked if they had voted early or planned on voting this election.

Some said they already have, and others told us they weren’t even registered. For those who did vote, we asked why it is so important.

“I don’t know, it just felt really important to me, so I wanted to go out there and vote,” said Jordan Ward, a student at FGCU.

No matter the party, young voters are wanted by the candidates.

“There is a big whole argument with young voters saying, ‘Oh, these two candidates are terrible.’ If both candidates are terrible, then just vote third-party, or just focus on policy,” said James Magee, an FGCU student.

The students we spoke with told us that politics, voting, getting registered and uncertainty about which party or policies they would side with can be intimidating.

We spoke with FGCU professor Peter Bergerson, who teaches politics — and has done so for over 50 years — and asked why that is.

“About 15 to 18% of those who vote will be between 18 and 30, so the ‘youth vote,’ generally speaking, is fairly low,” Bergerson said.

He had this advice to young voters still undecided:

“What you really have to look at with today’s students is to show them what and how the policies will directly relate to their job future, to their opportunities that they’re going to have or the opportunities that they’re not going to have,” he said.

If you haven’t taken advantage of early voting, you still have this weekend, or you can wait and vote on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

You will have to go to your assigned precinct on Election Day.