by Emelia Hitchner
All around the world people struggle to have their voices heard, but in America, where voting is a commodity and right, young voices remain silent.
By 2015, the present college-aged generation will make up one-third of the electorate, according to the Young Democrats of America organization. Around 80 million strong, the aptly nicknamed “Digital Natives” generation is more interested in “tweeting” their political opinion than voting it.
Even during the 2008 election when Barrack Obama rallied the enthusiasm of the younger generation, the turnout of qualified youth voters was not much higher than in previous elections. Only 51.1 percent of eligible voters under the age of 30 contributed to the polls.
“Generation Y” is the largest and most diverse of all generations in American history, with varied ethnicities making up nearly 40 percent of its population. It is a social and confident group of youth, eager to share their view, so what induces their apathy at the polls?
“This generation is really detached. They feel like they really can’t change things, they feel like for better or for worse, the system is dysfunctional,” said geography professor Christopher Whitaker of Daytona State College. “President Obama has tried hard to appeal through pop culture to the youth, but on actual issues, it’s unclear what the youth vote really cares about. They’re not really that knowledgeable about foreign policy and many don’t have a good grasp on current events or even domestic policy issues.”
Although Obama did attempt to enthuse the youth, the typical politician focuses on the people who will definitely vote. This induces a vicious cycle that encourages neither Gen Y’s participation nor a politician’s willingness to advertise to them.
“The candidates really don’t go after the youth vote; the candidate with only so much money will go to the people who are going to vote – age 50 and older,” said Ann McFall, the supervisor of elections for the Volusia County Department of Elections. “I think it’s an issue. If the youth got together and voted in a block, they would have a say in who is representing them.”
Even bad weather can affect voter turnout. In a 2007 study published in the Journal of Politics, it was discovered that bad weather deters voters on Election Day, declining participation to nearly 1 percent. For the technology driven generation, easy access can make all the difference. With 96 percent of Gen Y relying heavily on social media to participate and stay informed, it seems the actual political process is a bit archaic. Websites such as TurboVote attempt to encourage online voting registration for the generation, hoping to stimulate more youth involvement.
As the economy struggles, the biggest election issues will be the issues that affect the youth the most. Gen Y’s large population size could make it the generation with the most potential impact in history, given their participation.
“We’re at a crossroads in the country as to whether we are going to become more like a European social democracy or return to the old traditional American way of political culture of individualism and responsibility,” said DSC political science professor Sally Hansen. “Whoever wins this election will determine the direction the country goes in.”
The outcome of a bright future could be in the hands of the youth, but it will take more than a political obligation to get them to the polls.
“People die when they go to vote at some of the polls in third world countries, but we have people in America who won’t even vote,” said McFall.
Although the right to vote comes freely in America, obstacles as simple as bad weather, busy schedules and lack of online registration is enough to dissuade young Americans from voting. Around the world, people are willing to risk more just to be heard.
“Several years ago in Iraq, Americans were saying that the Iraqis couldn’t get democracy and there was certainly a lot of criticism, but the percentage of the Iraqi population that voted was higher than we have had in almost any of our own elections,” said Whitaker. “There were bombs going off and people were being killed. Terrorists were threatening to kill those who voted and yet people were still willing to endure it.”
In one month, the direction of the country will rely on those willing to take a stand. To keep democracy alive, it needs a voice to speak for it and Generation Y is large enough to be that voice. In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The point in history at which we stand is full of promise and danger. The world will either move forward to unity and widely shared prosperity – or it will move apart.” Only America can decide.