This is in response to David Roseman’s letter ("Student voter turnout not an important issue," Nov. 5) that claims that student voting isn’t important because most students don’t spend more than 2 to 3 years in Centre County. I think this is what a lot of students tell themselves, and it’s the excuse they use not to vote.

The fact of the matter is, voting is always important. It may be true that students who are only here for a couple of years may not reap all the benefits of electing an official who is concerned with student issues, but does that mean their voice doesn’t count, or that they could help make life better for future generations of students? Does this then mean that if you move every 2 to 4 years you would never have a reason to vote? The answer is surely no. If there was a higher turnout of student voters, we could get officials into office who would argue in our favor on government issues in Centre County. Most recently, there was some debate over the "overcrowding law" in State College.

If a large number of students got someone elected into office who would not support this law, then we wouldn’t have to worry about the cost of rent close to campus going up because now only three people can live in a house that can accommodate six. There are a thousand issues just like this one that have a large impact on the everyday lives of the students, but the percentage of students who vote compared to residents who vote is small.