The election of 2004 is being talked about all over the country. It is one of the most publicized elections I can remember, and yet I still do not feel that involved. My decision to vote this November depends on how informed I am at the time. I think you need to be an informed voter to be a good voter. Voting for someone you think speaks well or looks good is wrong. What is it that causes so many young voters like me to not vote? A lot of people think it is a lack of concern that causes young people not to go to the voting booth that first Tuesday in November, but I think it's something more. Our government is based on participation and being apathetic about voting is no excuse. Without active involvement from the people democracy will fail.
The 26th Amendment granted those who are 18 years of age the right to vote. This privilege has long been abused by those ages 18-24. Since the Amendment was passed in 1972, the percentage of eligible voters ages 18-24 who actually vote has dropped 13%. The article by Carrie Donovan and Mark Lopez, "Youth and Adult Voter Turnout From 1972-2002," states that in 1972, 55% of youths voted and in 2000, 42% of youths voted. This is appalling compared to the 70% of citizens that are 25 + and voted in the 2000 election. This dramatic drop in voting among the young adult population is eating away at democracy. The election affects everyone, but unfortunately, not everyone recognizes that fact.
Those who do not vote have no right to complain about the outcome of an election, and nor the right to protest the decisions made by those elected to office. If this is true then why doesn't every eligible citizen vote? Politics affect EVERYONE. Those who are currently going to school most likely have a student loan. The student loan interest rate is controlled by the government, and I'm sure there isn't one student who is looking forward to paying more interest. Anyone who votes most likely has a job and is therefore paying taxes. I know that I hate seeing my paycheck cropped because of taxes. Even though I will get most of the money back when my tax refund comes in the mail, it still doesn't help when I have to give a large portion of my check to the government. I am a student and I need the money now. I can't afford to wait 8 months for my tax refund check to come in. Also, Social Security is slowly becoming depleted, yet I still manage to pay a good portion of my check to this social welfare program. Will I have the benefit of Social Security when I am older? Maybe a little, but not much. Also, the government controls spending for education. The more the government gives to schools, the less we have to pay.
One of the major issues of debate in the election is the war in Iraq. People18-24 years old are prime targets if there is ever a need for a draft. This issue alone should be reason enough to vote. Personally, I would rather not get sent to Iraq. But let's say there is no draft. I still have friends in the military. It was their choice to enter the military and they were aware of the chance of going to war, but I do not want my relatives or my friends to get sent to war. I'm sure everyone feels the same way. If I wanted to see changes in these policies there is only one way it could happen, and that is through voting.
Why do youths continue not to vote even though most of us know these obvious facts? The question remains unanswered. I know that I probably won't vote because I think my vote will not affect the outcome of the election. Multiply my thought by 20 million and you have a lot of people not voting. If all of my peers in this age group did vote, the election outcome would change greatly. If you think about it, Florida was decided by only a little over 500 votes. 500 VOTES! That's unbelievable. Even after knowing this, too many people my age continue to feel that their vote doesn't count. What can people do to get rid of this apathy and motivate our youth to vote?
Many organizations are doing as much as they can to get America's young adults to vote. MTV has its "20 Million Loud" campaign, which is trying to promote voting among people ages 18-24. This is a great idea because most of the people who watch MTV fall into this age category. Every time you turn on MTV you are bound to see a commercial for this campaign. Even Sean "P-Diddy" Combs is trying to motivate these non-voters. He is very popular among people my age and his voice should have an impact. He appears on television with the motto "Choose or Lose," which is also part of MTV's campaign, telling people to vote. When I see this ad I laugh because he probably knows nothing about the issues or the candidates. I assume this because of his interviews with people and he can't seem to answer their questions about the election. He only responds with telling people to vote because it is important. How is this supposed to motivate people to vote? Even if P-Diddy is successful, do we want people voting based primarily on the fact that he told them to? I guess it's a start, but it's not a great one. I think people should be encouraging teens to get involved by showing more about the issues and telling teens and young adults how the election directly affects them. We as teens try to act like we know everything, but most of us are quite uninformed when it comes to politics. At least I fall into this category. Watching the debates is pointless to me because I become so bored trying to figure out what Bush and Kerry are saying. In the case of Bush, I am literally trying to figure out what words are coming out of his mouth sometimes. He is a poor public speaker and this greatly affects the number of people who will vote for him. Do we want a president who can't say nuclear? It's not that big a deal, but our president should be a good public speaker. If I watch a debate, I would like someone to spell the issues out for me. It would be nice to hear, "Rob, this is how the election affects you..." Maybe not using my name, but the point is there.
It is a hard thing for people of all ages to inform themselves. When you watch the debates or watch either candidate speak at any time, you have to look past a lot of things. Most of the time appearance is the thing to catch the audience. The candidates know this, so they try to manipulate the situation to their advantage. Both Kerry and Bush try to look as good as they can (even if it means a Botox injection), and while they're doing that, they try to make the other look bad. It is imperative to not vote for someone based on appearance. It's a shame that campaigning has come to a battle of looks and what you can do to make the other guy look bad, rather than informing the viewers and listeners on what you can do for the country. The most important things are the issues, and they are being hidden by suits, makeup, and fake smiles. It's like the candidates are trying to avoid being direct about where they stand.
Voting is an important aspect of being a responsible citizen. It is one of our duties as a citizen. Democracy is based on participation. We went to war with Britain to have our independence and have a say in our government. To ignore the election by not voting is absurd. You may ask yourself the following question: "How can this guy write about youths not voting when he doesn't plan on voting himself?" I will answer it for you. After carefully thinking this over, I will make myself an informed voter by actively researching where each candidate stands on each issue. This is the only way I will vote. If I am too lazy to look up some information, then I don't think I can vote. That is the one thing I am totally against. Voters need to be informed or there is no point in voting. I don't think the people that are actively involved in what is going on with the election would appreciate it much if the other candidate won because of the way he looks or because some rapper or professor told them it's a good idea to vote. In the upcoming election, I encourage all those thinking of voting to make sure that they know why they are voting. I know I will. Don't vote just because you have the right to. Be informed. |