Every time there is an important election held, the candidates make a huge effort to appeal specifically to the youngest voting age group and to get them out to vote, which something they do less than any other age group. In the past two elections the percentage voter turnout amongst 18-24 year olds was 47 and 49 percent respectively. Considering the effect that 50 percent of all 18-24 year olds could make in the election, this is quite pathetic. Why is it that such a large percentage of this age group are not voting? I believe that laziness and political apathy are among the most prevalent reasons for the lack of young voters. It doesn't seem like it, but there are definitely going to be consequences for this trend should voters continue to ignore the polls.
I am focusing on youth voters due to the fact that habits form early and hard to break, so if they don't vote early in their lives there is a good chance that they won't start to do it later. Obviously, if young voters are underrepresented in the polls, then their collected majority opinion will not be recognized or have an affect on the outcome of the election to the degree that it could, and should. A democracy is a government run by the people and based on the majority rule. If a significant group of those people are not reporting on their opinions and desires, then the government is not a comprehensive and complete democracy. This is why it is particularly irksome when I hear my peers complain about our leaders and their decisions when they did not take the time to vote for the candidate that they would rather have had won. It isn't as if one or two votes is going to tip the election one way or another, however it is a start. If one becomes two, becomes, seven, becomes one hundred thousand voters and beyond, things could inch their way towards a more representative election outcome.
Candidates have been reaching out to the youth voters more than ever in the past few elections which has a smaller effect than was hoped. I think that it isn't something that can be changed by making it a trend or by giving people incentives, rather it needs to be a shift in how our country and youth view government. At this point I am not making a proposal as to how to make this shift, but I think it is worth a lot of thought by the media, public officials, and parents who all have an influence on our children's attitude formation regarding politics, our government, and their role in it.
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I agree with this bloggers perspective on voting. I think it is essential to get young voters out there and voting, because eventually these young voters will grow up and become 'old' voters. To keep our country a democracy we must instill the importance of each citizens vote. Without people getting out there in voting, then why did our countries founders fight for our independence?
ReplyDeleteI have seen first hand how politically apathetic the 18-24 age group is and agree with this blogger that "there are definitely going to be consequences for this trend should voters continue to ignore the polls." I am not sure how this apathy can be turned around, but something must happen to restore the faith and put some excitement back into our government.
I believe the blogger is correct in saying that it is "irksome when I hear my peers complain about our leaders and their decisions when they did not take the time to vote for the candidate that they would rather have had won." I firmly believe that you have absolutely no right to complain if you did not take advantage of your right to vote.
The blogger does not offer any ways to encourage the youth to get involved and vote, but it is an issue that needs more than just a magic word, many different sectors will have to be involved. Everything from "the media, public officials, and parents who all have an influence on our children's attitude formation regarding politics, our government" will play a part in changing this apathy.
I agree, in the process of a major election the very first thing that most candidates do is to try to appeal to the younger generation. Some candidates will meet with various music entertainers or movie stars to get their votes. Once a bond is made with the candidate and the entertainer they began to work on the campaign trail together to help pursue the younger generation to vote. Some candidates feel that by forming a bond with a famous socialite it will help their chances in getting more votes from the young generation. To some degree it has worked. For instance, during Senator John Kerry’s presidential campaign he made public appearances with movie stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Some of the young generation do not have voting as their top agendas during the voting season. The lack of voting among the younger generation is a major problem. To some voting may have never been a priority to them nor will it ever be. To some young people voting is a lose, lose situation. In their minds they believe that both candidates are the same and they don’t care what the outcome is. Others may believe that voting will not make the economy any better and their vote won’t affect the outcome either way.
ReplyDeleteVoting is a civic duty that we all have and we should take those duties seriously. What a lot of people do not realize is by voting we have the opportunity to do something great for our nation rather than just waiting to see what happens. Going out and voting is not a difficult thing to do if you really care about the direction our economy is going. Even though voting has increased among younger voters, it is nowhere near where it should be. Voting is a privilege and many people take that privilege for granted.