With local Republican candidate for Planning and Zoning Commission Molly Salafia, Wesleyan Democrat Ben Florsheim, and independent candidate for Middletown Board of Education Ed McKeon all having weighed in on the idea of Wesleyan students voting in local elections, it is now the Wesleyan College Greens’ turn.

Just as the Green Party represents a unique and valuable perspective in American politics, here our opinion differs in that we believe this controversy can be turned into an opportunity for building community. While Molly Salafia’s comments on “students participat[ing] locally” were perhaps a bit condescending and divisive in their tone, it is not difficult to understand the skepticism of us voting here coming from some Middletown residents. Most of us – although certainly not all of us – will move on after four years, while they will remain to deal with the potential consequences of however we vote.

For many students, the question of where to vote can be a tricky one. During our time at Wesleyan, we are usually transient members of every community in which we reside. Many of us could vote by absentee ballot, but then it is less likely to be counted, and we often feel more connected to Middletown, especially during these four years, than to any other place we could vote. We spend more time here during the course of a year than anywhere else. This year in particular registering to vote in Middletown had the potential to be a tough decision, as many people who worked to register student voters for the Wesleyan Democrats were not well informed on exactly what making yourself a Connecticut resident entails. With that in mind, there will indeed be several hundred new student voters on Tuesday.

This situation actually presents more of an opportunity than a source of division. Although individual students are mostly temporary residents, Wesleyan and its student body are a permanent presence in the community, and that deserves political representation. In addition to this current role in Middletown, our participation in local politics is a way that Wesleyan students can become more involved in the broader community, something that is often observed to be lacking.

Of course, it’s inevitable that some of us will go into the voting booth uninformed, but that’s true of any group of people voting anywhere, including permanent Middletown residents. Potentially more important is that voting here gives students the chance to see who’s running, learn about local issues, and potentially invest energy in a campaign or two. It gives us a new way to learn about and get involved in what’s going on in Middletown.

There is no debating that being an informed voter is a good thing. This was the main purpose of Molly Salafia’s piece and was emphasized again by Ed McKeon, who has been endorsed by the Wesleyan College Green Party, in his characteristically thoughtful manner. We encourage everyone who has registered to vote in Middletown not only to vote for Ed, but to vote for him and other candidates–and on the referendum questions–in an informed manner. By doing that, we can begin the process of taking this controversy and turning it into a way of unifying Wesleyan and Middletown.

Levin is a member of the Class of 2015.