With April drawing to a close, many students’ thoughts now turn to the prospect of exams. But between exams and the summer, May 8 stands as a day of political awareness with Amendment One, the race for Governor, and the GOP primaries to be voted on. However, early polls have opened, and students have already begun sharing their opinions on Amendment One.
As the voting date draws nearer, students on campus are becoming more educated and opinionated on the legislation.
“I am against it [Amendment One],” Alex Lowe, freshmen in aerospace engineering, said. “[This is] due to my belief that every person, whatever their lives be, should have a choice about what affects them personally.”
Early voting began on April 19, and while the numbers won’t be revealed until May 8, many are looking towards the general campus opinion to predict the outcome.
“Well I think that most folks, if I had to hazard a guess, are more knowledgeable and educated about the amendment now and understand the harm it has, not just against the GLBT community,” said Justine Hollingshead , director of the GLBT Center.
Many of those in favor of the bill focus only on the Defense of Marriage stance.
“You don’t hear as much conversation as what voting for the amendment looks like, because I think those folks have already spoken by having it on the ballot,” Hollingshead said.
Promotions urging people to vote for the bill have been circulating on Twitter and Facebook for months now. Some of the points they have put forward include, “The union between 1 man & 1 woman has been the definition of marriage since before NC has been a state and U.S . has been a country,” and “Marriage between 1 man and 1 woman is in public good. History shows kids do best when raised by a married mom and dad.” These have been promoted by # 4MarriageNC .
Because of the reliance on the Defense of Marriage aspect of the bill, many of those against Amendment One feel that their opposition aren’t very well educated on the material at hand.
“I believe most remain unaware of the damage this amendment would have on unmarried heterosexual couples, children of divorce, and elderly couples whose spouses have died,” Wyatt Barnes, sophomore in environmental design, said. “I feel the bill has been poorly publicized, hiding many of the underlying sections in order to gain support from voters.”
Hollingshead explains that many don’t even realize the full impact the passing of this bill could have on UNC system students. As of now, health insurance policies allow for domestic partner benefits for students, but this would disappear should Amendment One pass.
There might also be adverse effects on the job market for graduating students.
“We know that from a business perspective that there are companies who have said that, if this passes, they will have to seriously consider if they want to continue to stay in North Carolina,” Hollingshead said.
Students are encouraged to vote now, as the actual voting date is right in the middle of exam week.
As for students who are still unregistered, the Wake County Board of Elections has paired with the University, so that a list of all University students has been provided at every voting site. All students have to do is show up at a voting site, present an ID and fill out a form. Those in running the voting sites will verify the residence and let students vote.
Starting on April 27 and running through May 5, shuttles will be on campus to transport students to and from early voting sites.
As for those students stuck on the fence that say they probably won’t vote?
“I would tell them they should vote,” Lowe said. “Because it indirectly affects every one of us.”
