Voter Apathy: Younger Citizens Less Likely to Cast Their Ballots

Cheyenne Wyoming Tribune-Eagle ^ | 08-23-04 | Olson, Ilene

[Theodore R.]

Voter apathy Younger citizens less likely to cast their ballots

By Ilene Olson rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

CHEYENNE - Mark Egge has definite opinions about politics, despite the fact that he just turned 18 a month ago.

He cast his first votes in the primary election Tuesday.

"I guess I vote because I'm somewhat idealistic," he said. "I care about the direction the nation is going. I don't think I have a right to complain if I don't vote."

Although politics are not regular dinner conversations at home, Egge said his parents have set a good example by making a point of voting in every election.

While his parents are Republicans, Egge aligns himself more with the Green Party.

"They'll be voting for (President George W.) Bush this fall, and I'll be putting my vote in for (Ralph) Nader," he said.

"A lot of people see a vote for an underdog as a wasted vote. I don't. I've heard a vote for Nader is a vote for Kerry. I've heard a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush. But a vote for a candidate that you don't endorse compromises our system of democracy."

Egge said he has studied up on local and state candidates as much as he is able, and he plans to continue as the general election grows closer.

But Egge is an exception to the rule. Wyoming Secretary of State Joe Meyer said voting rates for young people in Wyoming and the nation are extraordinarily low.

Nationally, statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show only half of young people between the ages of 18 and 25 registered to vote in 2002, and fewer than one in five actually showed up at the polls on Election Day.

Those same figures demonstrate that the older a person is, the more likely he or she is to vote. Almost four out of 10 people between the ages of 25 and 44 voted in 2002, while more than five people out of 10 (56 percent) between 45 and 64 cast their votes. That increased to more than six out of 10 for people 65 and older.

Rebecca Vigil-Giron, secretary of state for New Mexico, said that's not a new trend for young voters.

Vigil-Giron, who serves as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, blames much of that on a lack of focus on civic education in the nation's schools.

"If you don't have teachers in schools teaching about civics and civic involvement, you're not going to have students involved," she said. "When you're not talking about it, you're not getting the message out that it's important to vote."

Candidates who don't reach out to young people also contribute to the problem, she said.

While voter apathy often is blamed for low voter turnouts, Vigil-Giron said that is true only when a person is informed and chooses not to vote.

"When you have people out there that are not provided the information in the first place, that is not defined as apathy," she said. "They are not politically empowered."

The National Association of Secretaries of State is working on a project to increase voter turnout, particularly for young people, she said. That project seeks to inform people not only of the need to vote, but also of the reason why it is important. It encourages them to watch where and how the taxes they pay are used, both locally and nationally.

"Those are your tax dollars, so monitor them," she said. "How can your tax dollars be utilized (to) empower you?"

Dave Marcum, a political science teacher at Laramie County Community College, said another thing that contributes to low voter turnouts is the fact that politics is seen increasingly in very personal terms.

"We've lost sight of the big vision kind of thing - the big goals," Marcum said. "People look at government as a large Wal-Mart providing benefits and services. If people don't benefit directly from those services, 'What do we care what government does?'

"The United States has become an incredibly self-absorbed society," he added. "Government doesn't necessarily provide solutions to personal problems. If it doesn't pertain to the crisis of the day, 'What do I care what government does?'"

To overcome that, candidates, teachers and government officials need to explain why what government does is important.

"If you develop a list of reasons why government has a personal impact on your life, then maybe you can get people to vote," he said.

He cited the gripes voiced by many that there is nothing for young people to do in Cheyenne. The solution is to work with and vote for a candidate who you believe will change that, he said.

"If you don't like the solution that the Legislature has come up with to solve the medical crisis in Wyoming, the vote," he said. "If you do, then vote.

"If you don't like the direction the city is heading, then vote. If you do approve, then vote."

Egge said many young people don't vote because they don't understand how the process works, or because they feel powerless and don't see a tangible impact from their votes.

"They're content to play their games, go to the mall and see their movies, because they think it doesn't make much difference one way or another," he said. "I imagine more people would vote if they thought their votes would make a difference."

Eliminating the electoral college system could help, he said, particularly after the 2000 election when that system put George W. Bush in the White House despite a popular vote that favored Al Gore, he said.

Creating a system for direct voting would be simple, but it wouldn't necessarily result in increased voter turnout, he added.

"I hear gripes (about the electoral college) from people who do vote," he said.

Nakia Singleton of Cheyenne turned 18 in October. She voted for the first time during the special sixth-penny sales tax election last November.

Singleton said she believes it is important to vote. She tries to stay informed about candidates and the issues for the election. But that would be easier if the candidates would pay more attention to issues important to young people, such as how to pay for college, finding good-paying jobs and housing they can afford.

"I think when you look at the people who are running for president, they don't focus on young people much," she said. "They're not addressing issues we care about."

As for candidates' personal traits, both Egge and Singleton agreed they look first for someone who is honest and straightforward.

Egge said wants a candidate who wants to make a difference but "won't promise the world."

Education is important to him as well.

As for Singleton, "I want someone who knows what they want and doesn't scoot around the bush - someone who's going to care about the issues I care about," she said.

[Theodore R.]

People look at government as a large Wal-Mart providing benefits and services.

This is a good point any may explain why so many "conservative" people continue to vote for many liberal candidates. They want more services at the "government store"!

[mewzilla]

If the apathetic, lazy and/or ignorant want to stay home on Election Day, fine by me.

[Izzy Dunne]

I've heard a vote for Nader is a vote for Kerry.

Yeah, that's it!
If you like John Kerry, VOTE FOR NADER.
It's just as good a vote!

Spread the word...