OT For a second there, I thought you were referring to Emminem, that rap "artist" who speaks for his generation of disconnected, apathetic, latchkey daycare children. They are of voting age now, but they don't vote:
10/13/02 - Posted 11:13:05 PM from the Daily Record newsroom
Jeff Cort, 18, of Newton, a student at the County College of Morris in Randolph, says he won't be voting in November. He believes his vote is meaningless and the nation's politics corrupt. 'I think my voice won't be heard,' he said. Bob Karp / Daily Record
dailyrecord.com
Youths stay away from polls
By James A. Duffy, Daily Record
Jeff Cort of Newton says he will join millions of other Americans on Election Day - and refrain from voting.
Although the 18-year-old County College of Morris student said he was instilled with patriotism after last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he believes his vote is meaningless, the nation's politics corrupt.
"I think my voice won't be heard," he said bluntly, crouching in a corner by the school's gym on Thursday.
And while Cort said he's not proud of failing to register to vote and for ignoring what could be crucial midterm federal elections, he added: "I never really cared."
Voter participation has fallen for much of the last 30 years as Americans of all ages have grown more cynical about politics. But young people, like Cort, are routinely at the bottom in turnout.
Clever pop culture marketing, patriotic appeals to civic duty and even guilt trips have failed to convince young people that their vote matters.
Many young Americans see voting as a choice, not a civic responsibility, research shows. And they do not make a connection between their everyday concerns and the politicians in Congress or the White House. And nothing so far suggests that a potential war with Iraq, a sputtering national economy or the political direction of a narrowly divided House and Senate will motivate young people this year.
"Unless this is seen as a crisis, we're at a point where democracy could lose an entire generation," said Jehmu Greene, executive director of Rock the Vote, a nonprofit voting advocacy group.
In 1998, the last non-presidential election, 12.1 percent - one in eight - of eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 voted. Overall voter turnout was 36 percent.
Morris County appears to be faring better than other parts of the country, according to voter records.
In the last month, 585 local residents between 18 and 24 registered to vote. That is more than double the number of young people who typically would register in that time period right before an election, officials said. The greatest increase was among 18-year-olds, with 323 new registered voters.
Nevertheless, political leaders, who attribute the local success to well-organized nationwide groups like Young Democrats and Young Republicans, remain dumbfounded by voter apathy among youth.
"It's mind-boggling," said Tom Zelante, the 47-year-old Morris County Democratic chairman.
"My generation, people couldn't wait to vote. I don't know what has caused a change, and it's disappointing to see that they are not interested."
Both Zelante and his counterpart, Morris County Republican Chairman John Sette, believe it may have begun with the Watergate crisis during Richard Nixon's presidency.
"In the news it was the same thing over and over again. The negative turns people off," said Sette, 55.
"And I think a lot of these kids are away at school and they're not taking advantage of the absentee ballot."
In 1972, the first election after the voting age was lowered to 18, 43.4 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds cast ballots, according to the Committee for the Study of the American Electorate. Youth turnout for the 2000 presidential election, which was among the closest in history, was 28.7 percent.
Youth turnout for non-presidential national elections has been even more dismal, ranging from a high of 17.9 percent in 1974 to a low of 12.1 percent in 1998.
"People tend not to vote until they have particular reason to care about their community, and that usually does not happen until they become permanently settled there," said Howard Feinberg, senior analyst at the Statistical Assessment Service, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group in Washington, D.C.
The focus of the 2000 presidential election didn't help, with an emphasis on "old people's issues" such as drug benefits, said Ron Rapoport, chairman of the government department at the College of William and Mary.
But the problem is not confined to the United States.
In Britain, where overall turnout usually tops 70 percent, just 34 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds voted in council elections last year, according to one study. A Carnegie UK Trust study recently recommended that Britain lower the voting age to 16 and allow 18-year-olds to serve in Parliament in order to stimulate more interest among young people.
Some young Americans are torn between their civic duty and their belief that their vote doesn't count. Others value other civic engagement - volunteering for a nonprofit or a church - over voting.
"Half of me knows my vote is useless," said Dan Levitan, a 19-year-old University of Maryland student from Hoboken, who intends to vote this year.
But Levitan said candidates often sound alike or don't hear the concerns of young people.
"Like a lot of young people, my opinions are never going to be listened to by some politician," he said.
"At the same time, I feel that I've got to at least try because otherwise you have no shot at getting your voice heard."
Some research found that the young people most likely to vote are college graduates and those with strong political or ideological beliefs. And young Republicans or conservatives are more likely to vote than young Democrats or liberals.
Amanda Bleezarde, a 19-year-old Mount Arlington resident, mailed in her voter registration card the day she turned 18. A staunch Republican, she plans to vote Nov. 5.
"It's your right as a citizen, and too many people take it for granted," she said.
"Every person's opinion counts. If we don't put our input into things, we can't complain."
Setareh Ghandehari, 19, an immigrant from Iran who became a naturalized U.S. citizen, is eligible to vote for the first time this year but is not sure whether she will.
"I just don't think my opinions are being voiced by any of the candidates out there," said Ghandehari, also a University of Maryland student.
Greg Smith, 22, a college senior, researched the presidential candidates before voting for the first time in 2000 and said he plans to vote this year. But he confessed that he is "not excited about it any more."
"I will vote, but I think it counts a little less," he said.
"I think I can make more difference in my life through my faith as a Christian, through my job, than as a voter."
There is evidence that candidates can make a difference in turnout. A bump to 37.8 percent in youth turnout in 1992 was attributed to Democrat Bill Clinton, whose presidential campaign appealed to young people, and Ross Perot, whose insurgent candidacy gave people a viable alternative to the two-party system.
Young people respond best to positive messages and examples of history - such as the struggle of women and African-Americans for the right to vote - than admonishments that they are wasting the privilege, according to a survey released this month by Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates.
"Young adults see voting as a choice. It's not an obligation," said Celinda Lake, the president of the research group.
Other research has shown that young people are more likely to vote if they are contacted personally, especially by someone close to their own age. Yale researchers Donald Green and Alan Gerber found that telephone calls to young people close to an election increased turnout by an average of 5 percentage points, while face-to-face discussions boosted turnout by 8.5 percentage points.
The YouthVote Coalition, which represents about 90 advocacy groups, has outreach experiments in a dozen cities and hopes to bring 1 million young people to the polls in November.
"This year is really a testing point for us," said Rebecca Evans, executive director of the coalition, which will expand the strategy to other cities in 2004 if it works.
Rock the Vote, which was founded by the recording industry, has street teams in 40 cities and plans to follow up voter registration with telephone calls, face-to-face canvassing and pledge cards mailed back to people who have signed up to vote.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also has launched a bus tour to promote voter registration and education at colleges and universities.
For some, though, only they can spark an interest in politics within themselves.
"Maybe if I find out more about what's going on I'll vote," said Julio Sosa, a 19-year-old CCM student from Dover.
Sosa's friend, Juan Rivera, 19, of Dover, agreed. Both registered to vote in high school when they turned 18 - but have yet to cast their opinions in the voting booth.
"I'm not really involved at all," Rivera said. "But I know my vote would count."
James A. Duffy can be reached at jaduffy@gannett.com or (973) 267-7947. |
