Cause and Effect

Lauren Farello AP Comp 2009-2010‎ > ‎

DRAFT 3

Lauren Farello

1 December 2009

Period 2

Young People and Voting

From the beginning of America's history, democracy is what has defined and transformed the this great nation. We believe that the power should belong to the people, and to those who represent the people. However, as America has transformed, so has our system of democracy. We now grant the right to vote to women, minorities, and 19-21 year olds. Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with democracy today is that not enough young people are voting. U.S. Senator John Glenn stated that he was concerned "about the future when we have so many young people who feel apathetic and critical and cynical about anything having to do with politics. They don't want to touch it. And yet politics is literally the personnel system for democracy" (Edwards, Wattenburg & Lineberry, 2009, p. 2). Despite the media's large impact on society, today's young adults are less aware and less involved in politics than previous generations. Although many young adults are actively involved in numerous organizations in their communities, many are uninformed about politics and how it pertains to society. There are a few reasons as to why there is a low voter turnout for the younger generation of Americans. I believe the main cause is that the students, ages 18-24, have many other things they would rather do than participate in politics. Many young adults are busy because they spend time with friends, online chatting with classmates, or working. Another reason is that many young adults don't take the time out of their busy schedules because they are lazy when it comes to politics. This lack of participation in young people has led politicians to focus on the older generations. Consequently, many young people do not participate because they feel that the issues only affect senior citizens. I believe that a contributory cause as to why many young people do not take the time to vote is because politics are simply unappealing to the younger generation. However, because the future of America is in the hands of today’s youth, many adults are concerned. People wonder what the future will bring if young people remain uninformed about government and public affairs (Edwards, et al., 2009, p. 3). The lack of voting participation by young adults, specifically ages 18-24, can be attributed to a couple of different sources and has led to a disruption of the democratic system in America.

A main cause as to why young people are not participating in politics through voting is because many are too busy and do not care to learn about politics. According to Project Vote, though 20% of the eligible voter population, voters 18-29 made up only 10% of the actual voting population in 2006 (2007). I believe that this is because of the busy schedules of young adults today. One theory is directly attributed to the specific age of these young adults, ". . . But rather than blaming politicians or the system or society for not speaking the language and talking to them, I always tell my students I understand why they don't vote. They're busy. They're doing other things. The things that matter to them, the things that are salient, things that are, you know, occupying their lives – school, work, relationships, surfing, whatever it is – those things take a priority and those are the things that they're going to invest their time in" (Pearsons, n.d.). In addition to being “distracted”, an immediate cause is that the younger generation is rather lazy when it comes to politics. Although I believe that it is a horrible reason not to vote, I’m sure that it is a big factor. A recent poll even suggested that only 37% of college freshmen feel that being informed about politics is a top priority (Edwards, et al., 2009, p. 2). If a student has other things he or she would rather be doing, and it takes extra work in order to vote, why should he or she do so? Nothing lures and entices the younger generation to vote. I believe that a remote cause why many students do not vote is because many of them are ignorant. In a study about the political disengagement of college students today, young people answered only 33% of the questions correctly, as opposed to the elderly, who answered over 50% of the questions correctly (Edwards, et al., 2009, p. 3). If young people do not realize the importance of voting, then what would make them register to vote, and then go out and vote?

Additionally, a contributory cause as to why young people are not involved in politics is that politicians do not speak to the younger generations. Some of the main issues that politicians today are concerned with are the economy, healthcare, Social Security, etc. Although, these are important issues, they do not specifically apply to the younger generations. They do not directly concern young adults, many of whom are living at home with adequate income, health insurance, and with Social Security far off in the future. "Politicians in the past have not paid much attention to young voters. Decisions on the many issues of this election year, however, will make an enormous impact on the future of current young American adults. . ." ("Youth", n.d., para. 2). The issues that entice adults to vote for a particulate candidate are not issues that directly concern the younger generation. Unfortunately, it is the demography of voters that influence which laws and issues are going to be focused on and ". . . those who participate in the political process are more likely to benefit from government programs and policies" (Edwards, et al., 2009, p. 4). However, as seen in a high school atmosphere, once issues pertain to the students, they feel the need to get involve. As the state revenue did not reach what it was supposed to, the state was forced to cut back expenditures and raise taxes. As a result, school districts in California suffered immensely. Once students in high school were informed about the potential loss of teachers, a determined group of students demonstrated their frustration about the tragic loss of funds. This is simply an example of how students can become involved once the issues become localized.

There are a variety of things that can be done to encourage younger voter participation; however it is ultimately choice of the individual whether or not to vote. Fortunately, the 2008 election has caused an incline in the number of young voters compared to the years past. It has been noted that over the past few years, the number of youth voters is higher than it used to be. Some attribute this surge to social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube ("Pacific", n.d., para. 1). However, much of the most recent increase has a lot to do with the competitors in the 2008 Presidential election. According to Von Drehle, "Frustrated by feckless Washington, energized by the unscripted, pundit-baffling freedom of a wide-open race, young people are voting in numbers rarely seen since the general election of 1972 — the first in which the voting age was lowered to 18" (2008). Additionally, it seems only appropriate for politicians to reach out to young adults and address some of the issues that young adults are facing, such as the budget cuts in schools, driving laws, etc. Also, many politicians have found that it is more beneficial to go to sites such as Facebook and MySpace in order to appeal to the younger, internet-crazed generation. Today’s technology makes it easy to spread the word and become enthusiastic about politicians; the 65 billion page views every month make Facebook a perfect spot to spread ideas and create trends (Von Drehle, 2008). But as was previously stated, young adults can only be encouraged to vote, it is ultimately the decision of the individual whether or not to vote.

Reference List

Edwards, George C., Wattenberg, Martin P., Lineberry, Robert L. (2009). Government in America (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.

Project Vote. (2007). Youth voting: registration and voting among young americans.

Retrieved November 18, 2009, from http://projectvote.org/youth-voting-.html

Pearsons. (n.d.). Political participation and the young roundtable. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from

http://wps.ablongman.com/long_longman_lpcerritos_4/0,10584,3773136-content,00.html

Von Drehle, D. (2008, January 31). The year of the youth vote. Time. Retrieved November 17, 2009 from

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1708570,00.html

Pacific Lutheran University. (n.d.) Youth voting trends. Retrieved November 30, 2009 from

http://www.plu.edu/student-involvement/Civic-Engagement/Youth-Voting-Trends.php

DRAFT 2

Lauren Farello

1 December 2009

Period 2

Young People and Voting

From the beginning of America's history, democracy is what has defined and transformed the this great nation. We believe that the power should belong to the people, and to those who represent the people. However, as America has transformed, so has our system of democracy. We now grant the right to vote to women, minorities, and 19-21 year olds. Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems with democracy today is that not enough young people are voting. U.S. Senator John Glenn stated that he was concerned "about the future when we have so many young people who feel apathetic and critical and cynical about anything having to do with politics. They don't want to touch it. And yet politics is literally the personnel system for democracy" (Edwards, Wattenburg & Lineberry, 2009, p. 2). Despite the media's large impact on society, today's young adults are less aware and less involved in politics than previous generations. Although many young adults are actively involved in numerous organizations in their communities, many are uninformed about politics and how it pertains to society today. There are a few reasons as to why there is a low voter turnout for the younger generation of Americans. I believe the main cause is that the students, ages 18-24, have many other things they would rather do than participate in politics. Many young adults are busy because they spend time with friends, online chatting with classmates, or working. Another reason is that many young adults don't take the time out of their busy schedules because they are lazy when it comes to politics. This lack of participation in young people has led politicians to focus on the older generations. Consequently, many young people do not participate because they feel that the issues only affect senior citizens. I believe that a contributory cause as to why many young people do not take the time to vote is because politics are simply unappealing to the younger generation. However, because the future of America is in the hands of today’s youth, many adults are concerned. People wonder what the future will bring if young people remain as uninformed as they are about government and public affairs (Edwards, et al., 2009, p. 3). The lack of voting participation by young adults, specifically ages 18-24, can be attributed to a couple of different sources and has led to a disruption of the democratic system in America.

Additionally, a contributory cause as to why young people are not involved in politics is that politicians do not speak to the younger generations. Some of the main issues that politicians today are concerned with are the economy, healthcare, Social Security, etc. Although, as a whole these are important issues, they do not specifically apply to the younger generations. They issues do not directly concern young adults, many of whom are living at home with adequate income, health insurance, and with Social Security far off in the future. "Politicians in the past have not paid much attention to young voters. Decisions on the many issues of this election year, however, will make an enormous impact on the future of current young American adults. . ." ("Youth", n.d., para. 2). The issues that entice adults to vote for a particulate candidate are not issues that directly concern the younger generation. Unfortunately, it is the demography of voters that influence which laws and issues are going to be focused on and ". . . those who participate in the political process are more likely to benefit from government programs and policies" (Edwards, et al., 2009, p. 4). However, as seen in a high school atmosphere, once issues pertain to the students, they feel the need to get involve. As the state revenue did not reach what it was supposed to, the state was forced to cut back expenditures and raise taxes. As a result, school districts in California suffered immensely. Once students people in high school were informed about the potential loss of teachers, a determined group of students demonstrated their frustration about the tragic loss of funds. This is simply an example of how students can become involved once the issues become localized.

There are a variety of things that can be done to encourage younger voter participation; however it is ultimately choice of the individual whether or not to vote. Fortunately, the 2008 election has caused an incline in the number of young voters compared to the years past. It has been noted that over the past few years, the number of youth voters is higher than it used to be. Some attribute this surge to social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube ("Pacific", n.d., para. 1). However, much of the most recent increase has a lot to do with the competitors in the 2008 Presidential election. According to Von Drehle, "Frustrated by feckless Washington, energized by the unscripted, pundit-baffling freedom of a wide-open race, young people are voting in numbers rarely seen since the general election of 1972 — the first in which the voting age was lowered to 18" (2008). Additionally, it seems only appropriate for politicians to reach out to young adults and address some of the issues that young adults are facing, such as the budget cuts in schools, driving laws, etc. Also, many politicians have found that it is more beneficial to go to sites such as Facebook and MySpace in order to appeal more to the younger, internet-crazed generation. Today’s technology makes it easy to spread the word and become enthusiastic about politicians; the 65 billion page views every month make Facebook a perfect spot to spread ideas and create trends (Von Drehle, 2008). But as was previously stated, young adults can only be encouraged to vote, it is ultimately the decision of the individual whether or not to vote.