Why Your Voice and Vote Matters: The Student Pharmacist Perspective

by Ashley Builta, Pharm.D., MPA fellow of association management and business development

Are you registered to vote? I think our ability to vote is something that we all take for granted. We all know that every American citizen has the ability to vote, but can you say that you have exercised that right to vote?

Let’s go back to the summer of 1964. The 1960s produced many significant events in the civil rights movement, but there’s one event that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. In Mississippi that summer thousands of volunteers, many of them students, came together to help register the African American population as voters. This campaign ventured into areas that were considered dangerous at that time, but the mission to register all of the newly-recognized voters couldn’t be deterred. This campaign was called Freedom Summer and 2014 marks the 50^th anniversary of that campaign. We can try to honor the sacrifices of those involved in Freedom Summer and the sacrifices of the civil rights movement by ensuring that all of us are registered and exercise our right to vote.

Now, you may be asking from a pharmacy standpoint, what does this have to do with me? Why does my voice as a student pharmacist matter? Consider this; in the state of Michigan, we have NO pharmacists in either the House or the Senate! So, who might we turn to when a pharmacy issue arises in the legislature? This is where the “friends of pharmacy” come into play. These are legislators with whom MPA has worked, who have a pharmacy-friendly ear, and who are willing to listen to us and our concerns about pharmacy-related bills. They can work with us to introduce pharmacy-friendly bills, and make sure our voice as pharmacists is heard in Michigan Legislature.

BUT none of this matters if they can’t win their elections. Did you know that in the last campaign cycle, some friends of pharmacy lost in their primary elections by 250 votes? 250 votes. Please think about that for a second. This is about one fifth of the student pharmacist population in Michigan. This is why every voice, your voice and your vote, matter! If we can’t get friends of pharmacy elected through their primary and general elections, then we greatly reduce the number of friends of pharmacy in the Michigan Legislature.

With primary elections coming up on Aug. 5, now is a great time to ensure that you’re registered to vote.

Important Dates to Consider for the 2014 Election
July 7, 2014	Last Day to Register for the Aug. 5, 2014, Primary Election
Aug. 5, 2014	Primary Election
Oct. 6, 2014	Last Day to Register for the Nov. 4, 2014, General Election
Nov. 4, 2014	General Election

The Michigan Secretary of State has a great step-by-step guide online about registering to vote. If you’re not sure if you’re registered to vote, you can go here to check! If you are living away from your legal address and can’t make it back to your district in time to vote on the day of elections, you can request an absentee ballot. You can do this only if you’re registered to vote AND have voted before! It’s a great way to ensure your vote is counted in elections. To obtain an absentee ballot, click here.

In addition, the Secretary of State Web site has some great resources to check out where to go to vote, what equipment your district will be using and generally what to expect. Be sure to remember your photo ID on the days of the primary and general elections, too (for a complete list of acceptable ID options, click here).

MPA is also happy to announce the launch of a new advocacy team and we’re looking for student pharmacists. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can get involved, join our Pharmacy Advocacy Response Team (PART) today! Do your PART by contacting Amanda Lick, MPA manager of advocacy, governmental and regulatory affairs at Amanda@MichiganPharmacists.org.