CHLOE KOWALYK
Special to The Leader
Voting in the 2020 presidential election is as important as ever.
To help students navigate the election process, Dr. Angela McGowan-Kirsch, an assistant professor in communication and avid supporter of student voters, asked journalism professors Mike Igoe and Elmer Ploetz to host a pre-debate meetup.
Both professors are former media professionals and have experience in print and broadcast journalism.
The meetup safely occurred on Oct. 22 via Zoom and was open for all students to attend.
Igoe and Ploetz provided students with an unbiased understanding of the candidates and what topics to expect to be discussed during the debate.
The professors informed students on topics such as media bias, the agenda and how the debate will be covered by the media. They even enabled students to get involved by answering questions and starting a conversation.
The pre-debate meetup was held just an hour before the debate. After the meeting, students were encouraged to watch the debate, keeping the newly-learned information in mind.
Igoe, who lived in China for three years, emphasizes the importance of people in America voting.
“Voting is a freedom; we should not take it for granted,” he said.
Since China is a communist country, voting is extremely limited, as the country does not have a universal suffrage law.
He hopes that the meetup got students thinking about the election and that students would be excited about going to the polls on election day.
A major goal of the meetup, as Igoe said, is to “make sure people do vote” after registering.
Igoe expressed that students and eligible voters need to watch the debate to identify more issues and to “see what the candidates are all about.”
“Students don’t appreciate what they have,” Igoe said in response to eligible voters who do not register.
He believes that since the right to vote is not guaranteed to everyone in the world, such as in China, those who have that right should exercise it.
The meeting was fairly fast-paced, and students were able to communicate with each other and ask questions through the chat as well.
Attendees also had the chance to hear from the unique perspective of Scotland native Roslin Smith, a professor at SUNY Fredonia with experience in digital media.
Ploetz feels that the meetup was successful and that it helped many of the students. He said that hopefully, the meetup “helped them understand how the media thinks about coverage for these kinds of things.”
The professors provided not just an understanding of the debate itself, but also a different way of looking at the media coverage and media bias that will be present all over social media and TV after the debate is over.
Ploetz recognizes that many students are navigating the election and voting process for the first time.
He said that for students on campus, “the American Democracy Project… is a really good resource to start with and ask questions.”
Ploetz also explained that wherever you are located, a great resource is The League of Women Voters, which has been around for 100 years now.
The League of Women Voters is not just for women, but for anyone looking to get involved.
He further advises that when deciding who to vote for, be sure to “do your research and figure out what stands [the candidates] take.”
Ploetz stressed that third-party votes aren’t as important this year and that they are almost symbolic.
“All it does is give someone in the major parties an advantage,” he says. In partial states, such as Florida, voting is incredibly important as it can greatly impact who wins the election.
“If you don’t vote, you don’t have a right to complain,” he said.
Ploetz noted that young people should try to get involved in the election process and exercise their right to vote.
Without student involvement, issues such as student debt and tuition won’t be brought up.
Voting is extremely important, especially for those of us seeking change. We cannot expect change without getting involved and exercising our right to vote.