For whatever reasons, young voters stay away from elections the same way some teenagers avoid making their beds. The reasons for the aversion to elections are many, not the least of which is probably blissful indifference to political issues on
For whatever reasons, young voters stay away from elections the same way some
teenagers avoid making their beds. The reasons for the aversion to elections
are many, not the least of which is probably blissful indifference to political
issues on the part of people whose adult lives have barely begun.Bad
examples set by their elders is probably a factor, too. In 1972, a laudable 63
percent of eligible voters in the United States went to the polls. But only 42
percent participated in the 1998 election. Too many people have become either
disenfranchised or lazy, causing a steady decline of voter interest over the
years. Apparently as a result, young voters are chips off the old block. Within
the 18-to-24-year-old age group, a mere 32 percent who were registered to vote
bothered to do so in the 1996 presidential election.
Something must be done
to reverse the trend of voter apathy among all ages. A change is especially
important among the younger set, for the obvious reason that their ballots will
call the shots in the years ahead. And this is where two get-out-the-youth-vote
campaigns come in.
Under the Kids Voting USA program in Hawai’i, hundreds
of volunteers, including adults and high school students, will be at the 19
polling places on Kaua’i on Nov. 7 to help children get the voting habit. Kids
will be given ballots to make their choices in the same contests that their
parents will be deciding in the general election Nov. 7. The kids’ votes won’t
count in the official outcomes, but the plan for getting youngsters interested
in the political process is a good one.
Also on the right track is the
National 4-H Council with its Take a Kid to Vote program. By taking a child
with them to the voting booth, adults can give the next generation of voters an
early interest in public participation that hopefully will stay with them for a
lifetime.
It’s easy to comprehend that a parent who votes and openly talks
about issues affected by the ballot box is the leading factor in influencing
children to eventually be voters themselves. But it’s reported that more than
half of young Americans live in households where no adult votes. If that trend
continues, the democratic process is in for big trouble.
Adults who aren’t
discussing the rights and obligations of the American society and then backing
up their words with votes should start – not only for the benefit of children
who need the right lessons in civic duty, but also for themselves. Regardless
of age, we’re all in this democracy together.
