Where Will D.C. Students Speak?

Many Georgetown University students have decided to vote absentee this November, even with two students’ names on local ballots.

“People underestimate local politics,” said Trevor Tezel, Georgetown University sophomore and chair of DC Students Speak.

Few students see importance in voting in local elections, in part because the two students running for seats on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) are running uncontested in districts with solely student constituents.

Last week the Hoya editorial board wrote, “Students would be misguided to diminish their voice by voting here.” The board’s reasoning was that students' voices are better heard in an influential presidential election at home, due to the District’s liberal record and minimal number of electoratal votes.

“This is my school residence. It’s not my permanent residence,” said Alba Seoane, senior at Georgetown who is registered to vote in her home state of New York.

Rosie Bichell, sophomore at Georgetown from Nashville, Tenn. is registered in Tennessee, where she says her liberal vote matters more in the presidential election.

“I should learn more about D.C. local government,” said Bichell, who did not know two of her fellow students would be on the local ballot. “I haven’t really looked into it much.”

Freshman Christopher Hahn is registered to vote in his home state of New Jersey. He did not know that living in the District during the school year meant that he could register here.

Seoane never thought about registering in the District in the four years she has studied at Georgetown. She did not think she could.

The university’s location in Ward 2 is a recent epicenter for community conversation. Georgetown residents protested off-campus student conduct, route: {:controller=>"articles", :action=>"show", :id=>"gu-plan-at-zoning-who-said-what"} --> such as noise disturbance and excessive trash during the recent campus plan discussions and