Argument Analysis: Not Turning Out

“Not Turning Out” published by The Economist on February 4th, 2017 covers the lack of enthusiasm concerning voting among millennial voters while providing possible explanations for why younger people are less likely to vote. Consistently across several nations less than half of eligible millennials voted, demonstrating that the problem is widespread and not specific to any region. Lower voter turnout makes elections less legitimate since the voting population becomes less representative of the overall population. However, millennials are politically active, even if they may not vote.

I found the insight interesting that instead of viewing voting as a responsibility, younger generations may feel more inclined to protest or participate directly

The article states young people read less newspapers and listen to less news on the radio. The statistic frames it as if younger people are not as aware of current events. In reality, younger people are simply less likely to use such methods to get their news. The author fails to mention the statistics of how many people and what demographics read internet news publications. The best way to increase voter turnout among young people is to demonstrate how their vote does matter. Since young people do not tend to vote, the demographic is small so their voice is suppressed. This discourages younger people from voting, further suppressing their voices. In order to increase turnout the cycle has to be broken. As the article states, teaching and encouraging voting at a young age through school is a possible solution. Education is a useful tool to build the foundations of voting habits. The trend of millennials and voting is rather misleading. It is not so much that younger people care less, it’s that they have different perspectives and attitudes. Even though some people choose not to vote, I am excited to be able to vote next November and be and take advantage of the liberty we are given as