HERE AT SYRACUSE’S LOCAL P-B-S STATION, THERE WASN’T A HUGE RUSH OF RESIDENTS TO VOTE. FOR A NEW RESIDENT LIKE YAWN LU, WHO RECENTLY RELOCATED TO SYRACUSE FROM NEW HAVEN, HE SEES THE DEMOGRAPHIC SPLIT BETWEEN UNIVERSITY TRANSPLANTS, AND LIFELONG RESIDENTS
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[TAKE SOT: Yawn Lu]
(“Having such a divide between residents in the city that aren’t apart of the university program, or are transplants to the area, but are now residents, I think a lot of the viewpoints and needs of those residents are different than those from people that would’ve grown up in the city.”)
CRAWFORD:TRACK 2
UNIVERSITY SPLIT ASIDE, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT GOT YAWN TO THE POLLS WAS THE LACK OF PARTICPATION FROM YOUNGER CITIZENS, SPECIFICALLY AGED TWENTY FOUR TO THIRTY FIVE. FOR YAWN, ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO GET MORE YOUNGER VOTERS OUT TO THE POLLS, IS THROUGH EDUCATION
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[TAKE SOT: Yawn Lu]
(“Education before you’re of voting age, learning about the voting process, the importance of voting, laying that foundation and stressing the importance of it, I think that makes a big difference. I remember in middle school, high school, government classes were a thing, but they never really felt that important, or it never was that emphasized. I think their could be more done there.”)
CRAWFORD:TRACK 3
THROUGH EDUCATION OR BREAKING THROUGH COMMUNITY NARRATIVES, YAWN HOPES TO SEE MORE PEOPLE REALIZE THE POWER OF THEIR VOTE.
FROM DOWNTOWN SYRACUSE, JOSH CRAWFORD, NCC NEWS
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (N.C.C. News) – Yuan Lu is relatively new to Syracuse. He moved here during the pandemic in 2020 from New Haven, Connecticut. Home to Yale University, New Haven is a college town just like Syracuse.
Lu is keenly aware of the dynamics that can exist between town folks and people passing through for university resources in both places. He’s adamant that there needs to be a more concerted effort for both types of residents to have better voter turnout, so that city officials are knowledgeable about the specific needs of both groups and bridging the divide between the two groups.
Yuan, 34, also readily admits that there hasn’t been enough of a presence for young voters, and the validity of your opinion of municipal issues is minimized if you haven’t voted. Especially in an off-year election, he’s witnessed young voters ignore any issues that don’t specifically affect them.
He says he is sensitive to the different issues that cause people not to vote, and he discussed things such as mandatory time off for voting or better accessibility to early and absentee voting in order to ensure as many people have ample time to fulfill their civic duty. It’s always an uphill battle to get more voter turnout, but Yaun is someone that’s not only doing his part to make his voice heard, but instead of complaining, he wants to offer actionable solutions to make sure other voices have a chance to be heard.
