The Appalachian would like to express its concern with the voter turnout on Appalachian State University’s campus for the Aug. 31 sales tax referendum.

The proposed tax would increase sales tax by a quarter-cent (25 cents for every $100 spent) for most non-grocery items.

According to county documents, the additional revenue was to go “toward the construction of a gymnasium and a recreation center in Boone, an Eastern Watauga

Community Center and the development and implementation of a Comprehensive Plan to upgrade facilities and amenities at the County’s existing parks,” as reported in the Aug. 31 edition of The Appalachian.

According to the Watauga County Board of Elections’ results, only 83 of the 7,112 votes cast Tuesday were cast from the two voting centers on campus.

The Appalachian realizes some students may have voted at other locations and others may have been counted in early voting, but we feel the numbers do not support any theory that includes the majority of Appalachian students voting.

While Appalachian harbors many unique individuals from various backgrounds with a wide array of future goals, one commonality between the entire campus community is that of a higher education.

With a higher education come certain implied responsibilities, chief among which is the responsibility to utilize that education in the democratic process to help make our community better.

Though Mountaineers come from all over the world and will eventually depart to places far and wide, during our time here, we are all part of this community, and our civic responsibility lies here.

As such, The Appalachian strongly encourages all students to register in Watauga County and take part in the democratic process.

The referendum Tuesday was an especially important opportunity because it did not require voters to weigh candidates and try to predict which would be a better representative of their views and values.

Instead, Tuesday’s vote was a direct opportunity for each individual to weigh in on a local issue and tell the county whether the proposed sales tax was an appropriate answer to a debate that includes many competing issues, such as how to combat childhood obesity, the county’s mounting debt and many others.

While individual staff members may hold their own views on these issues and the debate overall, The Appalachian as a whole is not concerned with convincing any student which way to vote in any election.

Rather, we wish for students to voice whatever opinions they hold because we honestly and firmly believe that for our leaders to make the best decisions, the conversations and debates behind them must include the educated input of our campus community.

Once registered, students should take every opportunity to participate in the democratic processes available to them.

This includes, but is not limited to, Student Government Association Senate elections in the coming months, the mid-term elections in November, which will afford students the chance to weigh in on local, state and national leaders, and the SGA executive elections in the Spring.

For information on how to register, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections at sboe.state.nc.us and click on voter registration on the left-hand navigation.