Believe the HYPE

Opportunities to vote in a presidential election come around only once every four years. Mid-October days with forecasts in the 70's are likely an even less common occurrence. Free fall concerts at Harvard--maybe once in a blue moon. This year, however, the stars have aligned and all three anomalies--voter registration, sun and pleasant grooves--have descended on our fair campus on the same day. The name of this celestial twist of fate is HYPE (Harvard Youth for Political Empowerment) and it is an opportunity that you shouldn't miss.

Sunday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (check times) the Quad will be transformed into a mecca of politics and pop music--offering students one last opportunity to register for the Nov. 7 elections while the lyrics of They Might be Giants add conviviality and vigor to the air. Even if you have never heard of Birdhouse in Your Soul, the carnival games and food make the event worth attending.

Putting light-heartedness aside, however, HYPE does have a serious mission. Voters in the 18-24 age bracket are historically the least participatory segment of the voter population and therefore the least likely to have their concerns taken up in the political arena. Whether or not our next president addresses issues on the youth agenda will depend to a large extent on whether the youth vote is mobilized next month. And, with polls consistently showing the candidates in a statistical dead heat, your vote matters in this election more than ever.

So if you haven't registered already, take this opportunity to exercise your civic muscles and do so. And if you have registered, take this opportunity to enjoy a rare sunny Sunday before winter sets in. It would be a shame not to see what the HYPE is about.