Last week, Republicans John McCain and Mitch McConnell prevailed over Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Bruce Lunsford in Wednesday’s mock elections.

This is hardly a surprise, as Kentucky has been projected as a Republican state in both the presidential and senatorial races. The problem here is not the outcome of the elections, which is sponsored by Secretary of State Trey Grayson and Student Government. The problem is student participation in the mock elections.

Ryan Smith, head of SG National Politics Advisory Board, said the elections went well and he was blown away by the turnout.

Why shouldn’t he be? Overall participation was up nearly 25 percent from last year, and UK has had the highest turnout to date among nine other colleges.

But these percentages are less impressive when you look at the raw numbers. Even with the 25 percent increase in voter turnout, only 227 participants voted in the mock elections, according to a Kernel article on Wednesday. On a campus of more than 25,000 students, less than one-tenth of 1 percent participated in the process.

The mock election is no way to forecast the student vote that will come out of the Nov. 4 election, as many students probably were unaware of the mock elections, causing lack of participation. Still, this is indicative of a problem plaguing students and young people across the country.

With increased participation for events like this comes increased influence in elections. It is not enough to register to vote. Students must vote and participate in all of the democratic processes afforded to us. We have many campus student organizations that have devoted their time to voter registration. UK’s College Democrats and Republicans have set up debates and hold meetings to take ownership in the political process. And in a partnership with the office of the Kentucky Secretary of State, we have these mock elections.

It is pitiful that less that one-tenth of 1 percent is considered a success. Even if students were not aware of the elections prior to Wednesday, tables were set up to allow students to give some type of preliminary indication of where they stood.

UK students should be more involved in this election. Our generation will decide who our future leaders will be. Therefore, it is disappointing that this mock election had such a low turnout, especially since young voters are supposedly turning out in droves for this election.

The numbers from voter registration and mock elections dictate how much say we have in our politics. Why would a major political campaign make a stop at a university that has such a low turnout for a mock election?

This could be a problem with advertising and awareness. However, it seems to suggest a deeper problem that has continued to be the focus of recent elections.

From the local level all the way up to president, we have to care about elections and make our voice heard, which extends beyond simply casting a vote on Election Day. Being an informed citizen and being active in politics is the only way for students to be taken seriously in political matters.