Will Stewing
You've got a date Nov. 4
Will Stewart
Issue date: 10/20/08 Section: Showcase
Everywhere you look - on campus, online and elsewhere - there is an effort afoot to get voters registered for the upcoming presidential election. I hope that this isn't a surprise to anybody. With the election only three weeks away, there is a frenzy to get college-aged students into the voting booths. Why?
When it comes to voting, college-age students have a poor attendance record. Even before the voting age was lowered to 18, the youngest voters had the lowest turnout of any age group. According to the National Election Survey, in the 2004 presidential election, only 60 percent of eligible 18-25 year olds (young voters) actually did so. Despite our youth and vigor, people our age have consistently slacked off when it comes to performing our civic duty.
Interestingly, the highest voter turnout rate usually belongs to some of the oldest age groups. In the 2004 election, the National Election Survey found that 86 percent of 66 to 75 year olds cast a ballot. Perhaps it is because many of these people are retired and have more time for things like voting. For this reason and others, it has been suggested that if Election Day were a federal holiday, like Labor Day, more people might wait in line to punch a ballot or pull a lever.
My guess is that for college students such a holiday will lead to more snooze button punching than anything else. Tap handles and lever voting machines might look similar, but the act of looking at tap handles and assessing beverage choices hardly counts as choosing the best candidate. As for waiting in long lines, I'm sure a few students will gather outside the bars at 6 a.m. hoping to get in early and receive a shirt that says "Forget The Maverick, Vote for The Pioneer" or "Brat Obama."
As an age group, we have more years ahead of us than any other group of voters, and yet we have the lowest participation. The realization that we're now in control of our country's future ought to be apparent, but perhaps it isn't.
Look at this election's most salient issues: the economy, health care, the war in Iraq and energy; one's perspective on these issues and every other possible issue depends greatly on one's age and "expected time of departure." Unless they were an extra in "Waterworld," somebody currently at the age of 75 is unlikely to live long enough to see a world void of ice caps. Another example would be the response to recent economic trouble. If you're about to enter the workforce, you're probably worried about how it will impact job markets and your ability to get a mortgage. Somebody on the verge of retirement is probably more concerned with the short-term future of the market and the damage caused to his or her retirement portfolio. While I'm sure most people vote with more in mind than just themselves, it is easier to order the red-ink marinated government program with a side of deficit-cooked war if you're "leaving the building" before the check comes. Building on the dinner-check analogy, whether or not you show up, your date - the government - is going to order something and you'll foot the bill.
Regardless of who we vote for, if more young voters showed up for the "date" we'd probably find that politicians want to have a conversation with us. While every vote does count, the reality is that national elections aren't about winning your vote or my vote; it is about winning voting blocs, the operative word here is "voting." College students and peers could be a bloc, but in terms of voting, we're not doing enough of it. Call me cynical, but politicians don't care what makes you happy or sad, they only care about what makes you vote. In short, politicians care much more about what our parents and grandparents think because they're the ones that vote.
If you've ever complained about things like road construction, gas prices, the drinking age, tuition costs, food prices, job opportunities, exchange rates, wages and salaries, taxes or cable rates, then you should be voting, because all of these issues can be tied to some level of our government. If you don't vote, don't bother complaining about such things and instead stick to these three subjects: messy roommates, homework and Nickelback. However, be aware that when you graduate you can't legitimately complain about homework and roommates anymore. Fortunately, Nickleback's music will always stink!
Some people are understandably hesitant to vote because they don't feel fully informed. Don't be discouraged! Nobody should ever think they're "fully informed," and there will always be information that escapes even the keenest disciples of democracy. This doesn't mean you should go into the voting booth and haphazardly mark up a ballot. Instead, get online and go to the candidates' Web sites or visit news sites and read the paper. When you're wandering Facebook, turn the television on and go to a news network. Always be critical! Avoid "issue tests" or "candidate finders" that offer to compute your opinions and suggest a candidate based on your responses. Even though the debates are over they can still be found online - watch them!
Perhaps you will, or already have, concluded that neither candidate deserves your vote and therefore there is no reason to go vote. Remember that this election is about more than the Presidency. Also, consider voting for an independent party! If an independent party receives an unprecedented number of votes and it can be attributed to disenfranchised young voters, then everybody will be on notice that we care, and more importantly, we vote.
Finally, remember that dinner dates don't always go the way we want them too and neither do elections, but we gain nothing by ignoring the opportunity entirely.
Stewart is a senior education major and guest columnist for The Spectator. "Will Stewing" appears every Monday issue.
When it comes to voting, college-age students have a poor attendance record. Even before the voting age was lowered to 18, the youngest voters had the lowest turnout of any age group. According to the National Election Survey, in the 2004 presidential election, only 60 percent of eligible 18-25 year olds (young voters) actually did so. Despite our youth and vigor, people our age have consistently slacked off when it comes to performing our civic duty.
Interestingly, the highest voter turnout rate usually belongs to some of the oldest age groups. In the 2004 election, the National Election Survey found that 86 percent of 66 to 75 year olds cast a ballot. Perhaps it is because many of these people are retired and have more time for things like voting. For this reason and others, it has been suggested that if Election Day were a federal holiday, like Labor Day, more people might wait in line to punch a ballot or pull a lever.
My guess is that for college students such a holiday will lead to more snooze button punching than anything else. Tap handles and lever voting machines might look similar, but the act of looking at tap handles and assessing beverage choices hardly counts as choosing the best candidate. As for waiting in long lines, I'm sure a few students will gather outside the bars at 6 a.m. hoping to get in early and receive a shirt that says "Forget The Maverick, Vote for The Pioneer" or "Brat Obama."
As an age group, we have more years ahead of us than any other group of voters, and yet we have the lowest participation. The realization that we're now in control of our country's future ought to be apparent, but perhaps it isn't.
Look at this election's most salient issues: the economy, health care, the war in Iraq and energy; one's perspective on these issues and every other possible issue depends greatly on one's age and "expected time of departure." Unless they were an extra in "Waterworld," somebody currently at the age of 75 is unlikely to live long enough to see a world void of ice caps. Another example would be the response to recent economic trouble. If you're about to enter the workforce, you're probably worried about how it will impact job markets and your ability to get a mortgage. Somebody on the verge of retirement is probably more concerned with the short-term future of the market and the damage caused to his or her retirement portfolio. While I'm sure most people vote with more in mind than just themselves, it is easier to order the red-ink marinated government program with a side of deficit-cooked war if you're "leaving the building" before the check comes. Building on the dinner-check analogy, whether or not you show up, your date - the government - is going to order something and you'll foot the bill.
Regardless of who we vote for, if more young voters showed up for the "date" we'd probably find that politicians want to have a conversation with us. While every vote does count, the reality is that national elections aren't about winning your vote or my vote; it is about winning voting blocs, the operative word here is "voting." College students and peers could be a bloc, but in terms of voting, we're not doing enough of it. Call me cynical, but politicians don't care what makes you happy or sad, they only care about what makes you vote. In short, politicians care much more about what our parents and grandparents think because they're the ones that vote.
If you've ever complained about things like road construction, gas prices, the drinking age, tuition costs, food prices, job opportunities, exchange rates, wages and salaries, taxes or cable rates, then you should be voting, because all of these issues can be tied to some level of our government. If you don't vote, don't bother complaining about such things and instead stick to these three subjects: messy roommates, homework and Nickelback. However, be aware that when you graduate you can't legitimately complain about homework and roommates anymore. Fortunately, Nickleback's music will always stink!
Some people are understandably hesitant to vote because they don't feel fully informed. Don't be discouraged! Nobody should ever think they're "fully informed," and there will always be information that escapes even the keenest disciples of democracy. This doesn't mean you should go into the voting booth and haphazardly mark up a ballot. Instead, get online and go to the candidates' Web sites or visit news sites and read the paper. When you're wandering Facebook, turn the television on and go to a news network. Always be critical! Avoid "issue tests" or "candidate finders" that offer to compute your opinions and suggest a candidate based on your responses. Even though the debates are over they can still be found online - watch them!
Perhaps you will, or already have, concluded that neither candidate deserves your vote and therefore there is no reason to go vote. Remember that this election is about more than the Presidency. Also, consider voting for an independent party! If an independent party receives an unprecedented number of votes and it can be attributed to disenfranchised young voters, then everybody will be on notice that we care, and more importantly, we vote.
Finally, remember that dinner dates don't always go the way we want them too and neither do elections, but we gain nothing by ignoring the opportunity entirely.
Stewart is a senior education major and guest columnist for The Spectator. "Will Stewing" appears every Monday issue.
Be the first to comment on this story