Students apathetic about local elections

The April 26 Baltimore Democratic primary mayoral election is soon approaching. Winning this primary is considered tantamount to the general election, so all eyes are on the current race.

At Hopkins, most students are unaware of the upcoming mayoral primary or are uninterested in the candidates who are running and the effects the election will have on the city. Some students, however, think that even non-resident students should be invested in the future of Baltimore.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, the incumbent mayor, is not running for reelection. The current front-runner is former mayor Sheila Dixon, who was forced to step down in 2010 following the revelation that she had stolen $600 worth of gift cards meant for Baltimore’s disadvantaged residents. Rawlings-Blake became Baltimore’s mayor and won the subsequent 2011 election.

Although Hopkins students are somewhat uninformed about the mayoral elections, they actively follow the national presidential primaries.

“As a student, my main concern is surviving from weekend to weekend.” — Sophomore Amy He

Many students do believe that it is important to stay updated on local politics. Although most students are unable to vote in the Baltimore primary because they lack permanent, legal residency, many students believe it is still important for students to remain educated about the politics of the city they currently live in. Regardless of their hometown, Hopkins students are four-year Baltimore citizens.

Freshman Daniel Parra said he cares about city politics but understands why many students don’t know what is happening outside of campus.

“We don’t know much about the upcoming elections because there are no advertisements on or around campus, since students can’t actually vote. It would be silly for the candidates to spend their campaign money here,” Parra said.

Matthias Gompers, a freshman and native resident of Baltimore, is aware of the upcoming elections but says does not care about the outcome.

“I really couldn’t care less,” he said in an email to The News-Letter. “Baltimore is a majority-black city, so ultimately the candidates have to appeal to the African-American population. I’m white, so even if I had an opinion, it wouldn’t really matter.”

Gompers believes that it is important for students to stay informed of local Baltimore news, but he views the mayoral primary as an insignificant matter.

“If you plan on living here after college, I guess you should care, but really, Baltimore politics are irrelevant to everyone who isn’t the typical African-American Baltimorean. Obviously students should be aware of local news because it can have an effect on us. That being said, this in particular is rather irrelevant,” he wrote.

Sophomore Amy He is also aware of the upcoming election but believes that as a student her primary focus should be academics, not local politics.

“I’m not a particularly politically-minded person in the first place,” she wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “And as a student my main concern is surviving from weekend to weekend. So no, I don’t really care about the elections. At the same time, I get the feeling that I should care more about what’s happening locally around our campus and I’m sure others would say the same, but the biggest hindrance for me is the time commitment. If I’m going to really get to know the candidates and their respective platforms, that’s time I could be spending on other things that I simply care more about.”

Although He is a resident of Maryland, she is choosing not to vote in the upcoming election. But she believes it is important to remain an active part of the Baltimore community.

“I don’t think I’d be qualified to vote in the upcoming election; I just don’t know enough about the candidates. I do think staying connected locally can make one feel more present in the experience of living in this city,” He said. “But it can be really easy to have a ‘get in, get out’ mentality, which doesn’t allow things like local awareness to distract us from obtaining that diploma.”

Freshman Sarina Redzinski said she is moderately informed about the upcoming primary.

“I knew that there were elections coming up for the mayor, but I didn’t know when. I know that there’s a prominent Black Lives Matter activist running, DeRay Mckesson, but that was the only person that I knew,” she said. “I think it would be really significant if a Black Lives Matter activist won the election. That would be really beneficial and would say a lot about how ready the city is to make important and lasting change.”

Redzinski believes it is important to keep up with city elections because Hopkins students live in Baltimore for at least four years and should stay informed about Baltimore politics.

“I feel like things that happen on a small scale more directly affect you, usually, and faster than on a large scale, so it’s important to know what’s going on,” she said. “Even though I can’t vote, I’m living here so I have to know what’s going on and who’s going to be running the city I’m living in.”