Column: You live in Boston too, so go vote

As a native New Jerseyan, I've been raised to have disdain for any city that's not New York City, specifically Manhattan. Whenever I say, "I'm going to the city" you can assume I mean the Big Apple - it's a phrase I reserve for real cities with skyscrapers, rude taxi drivers, subways that run at all hours of the night, and kebab vendors at every corner.

But as much as I love New York, living in Boston for the past three years - and the prospect of sticking around after graduation - has started to chip away at my Manhattan-loving pride. And fine, I'll admit it: I'm falling in love with Boston. It's hard not to; there's the quaint yet stylish Newbury Street, the idyllic Public Gardens, the yummy North End, and enough Starbucks to feed my inner caffeine addict.

But perhaps the coolest and most unique thing about Boston is how much it depends and thrives on its massive student population. Yes, New York has students too, but the dynamic isn't quite the same as it is in Boston. We are the idealized college town, and Boston Magazine's latest issue declared us "The Smartest City On The Planet," feeding the image of the city and Massachusetts as a hub for intellectuals and the place of innovation.

We give Boston personality, and you may not realize it, but we have more clout than we think. Just look at the figures. There are approximately 72,792 undergraduate students living in Boston right now from Boston College, Boston University, Tufts, Northeastern, Harvard, MIT, Berklee, Emerson, and UMass-Boston. Add the graduate students and you'll find that over 110,000 of the Boston population is composed of students. That's 110,000 minds and bodies all learning, volunteering, shopping, performing, spending money, and eating in Boston.

Realizing how many of us there are in Boston - and how many of us stick around to become its residents - has made me rethink the upcoming gubernatorial election and local races. We're adults now, most of whom are of voting age, and the delusional era of I-can't-vote-and-even-if-I-could-it-doesn't-affect-me-anyway has passed. If it hasn't yet for you, it should. Why? Because we comprise approximately one-fifth of this city's physical population and economic base, which makes us a viable voting block worth 110,000 votes.

Sadly, however, the candidates haven't had the same realization. Watching TV in the past few weeks, I've been hit with one campaign commercial after another berating the other candidate's stance, as well as policies that will be decided on the ballot, like selling alcohol in grocery stores. I haven't seen any candidate - state or local - really trying to reach out to students or the younger voting block in general, probably because we're overlooked as residents even though we live here nine months out of the year. That's 110,000 votes up for grabs, and they don't realize enough that capturing our demographic can sway the election favorably for either side. The interest is there; just look at all the Facebook groups pledging allegiance to either Deval Patrick or Kerry Healey.

But we can't place all the heat on them, because we are the ones who have to stop being lazy and go out to vote Nov. 7. You have to realize that the people elected into office next week will determine policies regarding student-related issues such as state financial aid, but also more general subjects like property taxes, high rents, and health insurance that can and will affect our lives in the near future. These are all things we're going to have to think about as we enter the real world, and by voting, we can make a direct impact on how we live as Bostonians now and in the near future.

I know the deadline for voter registration in Massachusetts has passed, but I would hope that those of you who have lived here for an extended period of time are already registered to vote. If you are, check out http://www.cityofboston.gov/elections/ for information on voting hours and polling locations. It'll be good practice for that bigger election in 2008.

Carolyn Mattus is a columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at mattusc@bcheights.com