Staff Edit: Away with apathy

In hosting Mayor Thomas Menino and Councilor At-Large Maura Hennigan to speak to Boston University students at the George Sherman Union on Wednesday, the university is doing its part to encourage students to vote in the upcoming election for mayor.

Those who have yet to register have until next Thursday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m. to do so, either through the City of Boston’s website at www.cityofboston.gov/elections or by calling the Boston Election Department at 617-635-3767. The city ensures that the registration process is kept as simple as possible.

The disappointing turnout at the preliminary City Council elections – when fewer than 100 BU students showed up to vote at their Myles Standish Hall and 111 Cummington Street polling locations – should not repeat during the more important election for mayor.

The Boston University community could potentially have an overwhelming impact on the upcoming elections, since the tens of thousands of students who attend this school represent a significant portion of the city’s voters.

At Wednesday’s question-and-answer forum in Metcalf Hall, hosted by the former Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, Menino and Hennigan addressed student issues ranging from night club regulations to problems with transportation in the city.

But only a few students showed up at the event to listen to their candidates’ positions on various issues, possibly because of insufficient advertisement on the part of the university.

Students have easy access to newspapers and online websites that publish information on each candidate’s agenda. The Daily Free Press will be publishing an endorsement of one of the two candidates as the election nears.

Anyone who chooses not to vote on Nov. 8, and register by Oct. 19, should have no reason to complain about problems in Boston – from keg permits to police patrols – that could be solved by the city government. Whatever the issue, a failure to vote is a failure to one’s community.