New Hampshire: first in the primaries, and for residents and for students, first in their hearts. Saint Anselm College offers students an exciting opportunity to be politically involved, and part of that opportunity is due to the major political importance of this small state in the national political scene.

The opportunity to vote in the first primary in the nation must be a tantalizing option to many, and with many college students becoming politically active for the first time, it can seem even more important to vote in the state where you spend a lot of time- and likely where you do a lot of political activism.

However, many New Hampshire residents find it very upsetting when students vote in New Hampshire state elections- for a variety of reasons.

This isn’t to say residents have some implicit bias against people from other states- some of our best friends at this school are not from New Hampshire. However, it’s important for people to remember that their actions have consequences.

When you go to school at Saint Anselm College for four years, you are seeing only four years of New Hampshire’s history- although you may have done political research on the people for whom you wish to vote, they have not impacted the state which you call home at the end of an academic year, and they will not impact the state where you will still live when college is over.

It is frustrating for residents to see outspoken students at St. Anselm College vote and campaign for politicians for New Hampshire- for example, the current race for US Senate.

They understand their current messages- but they have not lived here long enough to see whether or not their words have any merit.

Many out-of-state volunteers claim to know what both candidates are really about- but considering they have no experience with them, we’re led to believe they are wrong.

Thus, when someone from out of state says one of them is best for New Hampshire, many are quite frankly led to believe they have no idea what they are about.

We are not against voting- we believe that an individual’s vote is incredibly important, and voting is their civic duty. However, vote for the people who will change your community.

Vote for the people who will change your state, who will fight for what you stand for, and who represent the places you come from- do not vote for a state you don’t live in.

Do not come into someone’s home and devalue their vote by claiming residency as somebody who will most likely spend 36 collective months of their life in New Hampshire.

What ultimately adds up to three years for you may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is to someone who lives here- it is our past, and it is our future, and somebody has no right to come into this great state and make that decision for the people who live here.

When you bring an out-of-state opinion into New Hampshire, it devalues the thoughts and beliefs of those who live here- those who call New Hampshire home year-round.

“Live Free or Die” is not just hyperbole, an emotional metaphor to encapsulate basic liberty; it also a promise that New Hampshire is independent and those who live here are committed to making their own decisions as a state, independently of what others may want.