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Reveille The Daily
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2015 ELECTION
thedailyreveille
IN THIS ISSUE • LSU offense improving over course of season, page 5 • Opinion: SeaWorld’s orcas live in inhumane surroundings, page 8 @lsureveille
ELECTION
Students, officials predict millennial turnout
Opinion: Election turnout crucial for La. future ENTITLED MILLENNIAL
BY CAITIE BURKES @caitie1221 Students flipping through their fall planners and calendars are circling Oct. 24 in red ink to mark the Western Kentucky University football game. But few know that date also marks a turning point in Louisiana’s political future. Sometime between tailgating and 6 p.m. kickoff, concerned state residents hope to see a substantial voter turnout for the gubernatorial election the same day. However, state officials and student leaders are predicting a low turnout at the polls for Generation Y — otherwise known as “millennials.” According to a June 2015 report from the U.S. Census Bureau, millennials — defined as American youth born between 1982 and 2000 — represent more than one-fourth of the U.S. population, outnumbering the 21.7 percent of baby boomers in America. Regardless of voter turnout, Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler said 25 percent of Louisiana’s population could sway the election in a particular direction — though, with millennials’ voting presence, it is difficult to determine whether that will tilt to the right or left. “We’re seeing more and more of a shift of new registrants, nominally in that age group, to a non-party affiliation, so it’s very difficult to peg where their vote goes,” Schedler said. Although 61.6 percent of people ages 18-24 in the state are registered voters, Schedler said less than half show up to the
TODAY!
see MILLENNIALS, page 9
Volume 120 · No. 44
thedailyreveille
CODY SIBLEY Columnist
JAVIER FERNÁNDEZ
MICHAEL NOBLE JR.
/ The Daily Reveille
/ The Associated Press
LSU junior defensive end Lewis Neal
Western Kentucky University graduate student, quarterback Brandon Doughty
DOWNING DOUGHTY LSU defense tasked with stopping Western Kentucky gunslinger BY HEATHER ALLEN @Hallen_TDR The No. 5 LSU football team is tasked with quelling the most high-powered offense it has faced this year with Western Kentucky University and graduate student quarterback Brandon Doughty coming to town. The Tigers (6-0, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) and Hilltoppers (6-1, 4-0 Conference
USA) face off at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Tiger Stadium. LSU senior safety Jalen Mills will be back on the field for his first full game of the season after suffering a left fibula fracture in the offseason. Mills said Doughty, who threw for 2,709 yards in WKU’s first seven games, is a
Before you start binge-drinking enough alcohol to poison a small animal at the LSU-Western Kentucky University game tomorrow, don’t forget to vote in our gubernatorial election. At the risk of sounding like a crotchety old man whose joy and humor left years ago, young people need to turn out and vote. Some of us are about to head into the horrifying real world within the next few years, and our next governor affects us more than anyone. This election is especially important for higher education. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found Louisiana cut higher education funding by 42 percent per student since 2008, a rate higher than every state except Arizona. In terms of real dollars, that’s $4,941 cut per student. This election is a pivotal point for higher education. The rate at which college students turn out to vote could be the deciding factor between restoring our funding or further privatizing education. Our next governor won’t care about our needs and future if we don’t turn out to vote tomorrow. Each candidate has a plan for higher education on their website. They’ve talked about it in almost every debate. This election cycle may be the first within my memory in which higher education takes precedent over almost every other major issue in this state. A simple Google search can tell you everything you need to know about which candidate will fight for your
see DOUGHTY, page 9
WWW.LSU.EDU/FLUSHOTS • 225-578-5718
see VOTE, page 9
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