The general election is only one day away and some NIU students have already decided not to vote.

Rebecca Hannagan, assistant political science professor, said she believes voter apathy among college students is due to a lack of information.

She doesn’t believe that the common explanations, such as “people are lazy” accurately reveal why college students choose not to vote.

“Some of that [voter apathy] is due to a lack of information about why voting is important to them,” Hannagan said. “Some of it is also due to the nature of the electoral process and voting rules.”

Research has shown voter turnout among the ages of 18-25 is very low.

According to a research survey conducted by The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, only four out of 10 people between those ages feel that they have a duty to vote.

Hannagan also explained students would be more likely to vote if a candidate were to appeal to issues that affect the lives of students.

“There are many issues that affect the lives of students, but unless candidates make those issues clear, students are not likely to see the need to vote,” Hannagan said. “This is where student activists or campaign volunteers can make a difference because they are in a unique position to already be involved and get the message to their peers.”

The turnout of college students in elections usually lags behind other age groups.

It has been this way since the minimum age to vote was lowered to 18 after the passing of the 26th Amendment.

Sophomore journalism major Andrew Epstein, is one of those students that will not participate in the upcoming election.

Epstein said he has no interest in any of the candidates running.

“I will not vote because I do not believe that either candidate in the upcoming election deserves to have a spot in office based upon each other’s constant attempts to degrade their competition,” Epstein said. “I just don’t feel that’s the way elections should be run.”

Epstein continued by saying that students should vote when they see a candidate they believe will make a difference.

“I believe that voting is a good thing and the only reason I have not voted is because my expectations have not been met,” Epstein said. “I am not suggesting that one shouldn’t vote, but I refuse to vote for them [the candidates] just to hear months later that a sex scandal came up.”

Not all students avoid voting on Election Day. There are some that believe participating in the election process is necessary.

Senior political science major John Kissane has already voted and he said that everyone should get out and vote on Election Day.

“I voted because it is a big opportunity in this country when all Americans get to choose their leaders,” Kissane said. “I strongly believe in voting for this upcoming election because I want to keep the Republicans out of office.”

Kissane added that since citizens can choose their elected officials, they can also choose to vote them out.

So it is important that everyone get out and vote otherwise they may keep someone in office that turns out to do more harm than good.

“Many college-aged individuals are not socialized to recognize the importance of the political process, though many are as well,” Hannagan said. “We are all wired differently; an interest in politics is a feature of personal disposition as much as it is about learning from parents, peers, or high school civics classes.”