In many states across the nation, college students are not being allowed to vote in the cities and towns where they go to school because residence halls are considered “temporary” residences. Instead, these students are forced to cast absentee ballots in the communities where their parents live, according to an Associated Press article.

In this election year, one touted the most important of our generation by both Republicans and Democrats, it’s imperative young Americans are represented at the polls.

Yet, not surprisingly, researchers have found that in these places where students are required to vote absentee, they are less likely to vote at all. The reason the absentee process is such a hindrance to a strong turnout is that it jeopardizes the motivation for college students to vote.

On a local level, the issues of most importance to college students will naturally be ones that directly involve and affect them, as well as the community they call home for nine months out of the year. Obviously, there is far less motivation to vote on issues that affect your parents hundreds of miles away than local issues.

Furthermore, when college towns are benefiting from the economic boost students provide by increasing the city sales tax revenues during the school year, it’s simply unjust not to allow them a say in how the city is run.

For example, it would be morally repugnant for the city of Eau Claire not to allow UW-Eau Claire students a say in city council issues such as the Conditional Use Permit ordinance that affects our fraternities and sororities or the 3rd Ward parking ban that directly involves the campus community.

Fortunately for us, the state of Wisconsin has granted us this right, and for that, they should be commended. But many college students across the country are going without a voice in local issues such as these, and it conjures lessons of “taxation without representation” from history textbooks.

It has been said voting is a privilege, not a right -and this may be true. However, it’s everyone’s right to be able to vote on issues directly involving and affecting them. This November will be the due time every college student receives that right