Approval ratings for President Bush have dropped to 31.3 percent according to a pollester.com poll. That's a 5 percent drop since the beginning of 2008, and a 20 percent drop since his second term started in 2005.

Congressional approval ratings have also fallen from 32 percent after the election in 2006 to 23.5 percent last month.

These low approval ratings may help the upcoming presidential candidates while foreshadowing poor voter turn out as disgruntled citizens resort to political apathy. Yet some students claim the low ratings strengthen their resolve to vote.

According to J. Quin Monson, assistant director of BYU's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, the low presidential approval rating could be helping the democratic candidates as voters develop "Bush-fatigue."

"It's clearly helping Democratic party optimism," Monson said. "It's part of the reason their fund raising is going so well, and overall we're seeing more Democratic enthusiasm."

However the Bush Administration's low approval ratings could be helping Republican candidates as well.

McCain has been critical of the Bush Administration's early management of the war, but was an early supporter of the troop increase last year.

Back in January 2007 when Democrats in congress said more troops would "stretch our military to the breaking point," McCain supported the increase, saying it must be "significant and sustained."

Since the troop surge the war has improved. In September 2007, Commanding General of U.S. forces in Iraq David Petraeus reported to Congress that military objectives were being met, security incidents were declining, extremists were being captures in greater numbers and ethno-sectarian violence had dropped since the troop increase.

Through this, McCain managed to link himself to one of the only recent increases in presidential approval ratings while still remaining critical of the Bush Administration as a whole, Monson said.

"The approval rating would have been more damaging to McCain if things in Iraq hadn't improved," he said.

Monson also said such low approval ratings could dampen voter enthusiasm, which would hinder fundraising and voting numbers.

But BYU student Michael Anne Gee, a junior majoring in humanities, disagrees.

"Wouldn't that [low ratings] making you want to be more politically active and get someone elected who will better represent you?" Gee said. "I hear people complaining about how much they don't like the people in office right now. Then do something about it. Go vote. Go change it."

Kalisha Roberts, a junior majoring in art history, said that while the low approval ratings do motivate her more to vote, they don't sway her toward one candidate over another.

"I don't really connect those ratings with any one candidate," Roberts said. "There's no incumbent so the current president is not really reflected in any of the candidates. Everybody's looking for big change."

Copyright Brigham Young University 5 Mar 2008