Youth Voting

1173 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The youth's political and social interests that needs to be addressed in voting

Youth voters have been seen in fewer and fewer numbers in the polls in the last elections. They have seemed to lost the feeling of interest and civil duty in voting, that the generations before them have felt. According to The Circle, since 1972 the voters aged 18 through 24 have declined 13 to 15 percentage points. Young people are uninterested in voting. They grew up in a time where politics were not popular and a sense of not caring about politics has been instilled in them. Youth are not concerned with getting to the polls to vote because they feel like their votes do not matter and their opinion is not heard. The youth voters’ low rates of voting can be due to a simple explanation such as they just do not care about politics, or that …show more content…

It is not as simple as going to your local DMV or church and casting your vote for a majority of eighteen to twenty-four-year old’s’. To legally vote a citizen must be in their county which they claim permanent residency in. If they are unable to be present in that county, they must claim an absentee ballot. Which for most eighteen-year olds’ will be quite challenging if they are living anywhere other than their home. So, anyone attending college, going into the military or just traveling will have to go through a whole process in order to cast a vote. Jane Eisner, explains in her book, Taking Back the Vote: Getting American Youth Involved in Our Democracy, that “…my college-aged daughter had to fill out an application for the absentee ballot, send it in, wait for ballot, fill that out and send it back in time to be counted in the election” (Eisner 58). The process a college student has to go through to vote may seem easy to older voters, but it is actually quite grueling. A college student is constantly worrying about grades, eating right, sleeping enough and extracurricular activities. Registering to vote is not a top priority for them so they are most like not going to remember to request a ballot and send it back in time. Some youths do not want to deal with the hassle of casting an absentee ballot, so they do not vote. Absentee ballots are a major reason youth voters are not showing up the in the polls in higher

Show More
Related

  • Is Voting for Young People? by Martin P. Wattenberg

    1907 Words  | 4 Pages

    In chapter one, Wattenberg discusses the declining trends of Americans who regularly read newspapers between the 1960’s and present day. This can be attributed the aging patterns among generations who frequently read newspapers as well as with the use of technology rising. Reading the newspaper is a habit that either is or is not developed by the time one reaches voting age. With this, newspapers have become an older generation’s primary source of information, however, are still the best source for political matters. Younger generations tend to be more computer literate and have grown up with television and media more accessible to them than the previous generation. These trends not only reflect in American culture, but in other countries worldwide such as Italy, and Germany. Quoting a 2003 fox news interview of President Bush, Wattenberg illustrates the vast decline of newspaper consumption; even the U.S. President isn’t reading newspapers (11). Using tables throughout chapter one to illustrate the drastic differences within the last 50 years, the author exemplifies a 35% point decrease from 1957 to 2004. He speculates that perhaps young adults don’t like to read, but proves that is not the case as surveys have shown that education levels have risen overall, and access to books and reading has also increased over the years; thereby concluding that young people read, but do not typically read the newspaper. While there are several newspaper websites available, young adults do not frequently read those websites either. Although TV news information is not as detailed as it is in newspapers, young people have an ability to make up for their disinterest in newspapers by watching the news headlines (30). Chapter one makes a strong case...

    Read More

  • Youth Voter Turnout in Canada

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Research has brought about an abundance of reasons why youth are becoming less engaged in the political process. Education, absence of political knowledge, the media and family influence, indifference to election campaigns, inadequate amount of change, and lack of motivation are all possible factors in influencing the youth voter turnout.

    Read More

  • Voting Turnout Proposal

    899 Words  | 2 Pages

    It’s very unsettling to know that there was a six percent decrease in young voters (ages 18-29) in the 2012 election compared to 2008 (Circle Youth data). In 2007 the National Conference of State Legislatures publicly released a report and data set on voter turnout in democratic countries. This is a quote from that report titled Getting out the Vote, “It should be noted that in 1972, 18-year-olds were added to the eligible voting population, thus decreasing the percentages. Nonetheless, voter tu...

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Voting Age Of A Voter By Anya Kamenetz

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though sixteen-year-olds may be safer on the roads from taking a driving class, it does not mean that they have enough real-world experience to make an educated vote. Parents, teachers, friends, and social media will have an impact on their vote, as well as their easily changing ideas. Society has a great influence on the opinions of younger generations; it is unlikely that sixteen-year-olds will have a true individual opinion. An early voting permit would be good idea; however, most Americans would not be able to pass the “early voting permit”

    Read More

  • Cynicism of the American Political Process

    1013 Words  | 3 Pages

    Political inactivity on the part of young Americans stems from one fundamental source -- a general cynicism of the American political process. This disdain for politics is further perpetuated by a lack of voter education and a needlessly archaic voting procedure that creates barriers to voting where they need not exist. While many of these existing problems can be rectified with relative ease through the implementation of programs such as Internet voting and better voter education, such programs create only a partial solution.

    Read More

  • Voting In Texas

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    Make enrolling to vote less demanding. U.S. states have received changes proposed to make it less demanding for natives to vote. encourage individuals to enroll to vote when they recharge their drivers licenses. Early voting changes permit individuals to vote over a time of weeks or days, not simply on Election Day. consequently, enlist their residents to vote, evacuating a noteworthy obstacle in the appointive procedure. consequently, enlists subjects when they turn 18 would have a greater

    Read More

  • Essay On Why I Want To Vote

    543 Words  | 2 Pages

    As becoming the age of 18, people has the chance to start voting. People 18-24 have a lower percentage of voting than other ages. This is because the youth vote has changed over time and the reasons why the youth vote doesn’t want to vote. I will vote in the upcoming elections when I turn of

    Read More

  • Where Are All The Young Voters Summary

    482 Words  | 1 Pages

    One issue that has been a major topic of discussion recently is voting for upcoming elections. I read an article recently by Catherine Rampell called “ Where are all the Young Voters?” where she discusses how millennials are the group least likely to vote. She also states that all generations seem to be voting less but the amount of millennials voting seems to be in a severe decline. Rampell goes on to explain that millennials not wanting to vote does not seem to fit their status as being “socially conscious”.

    Read More

  • Civic Engagement In College

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    Young people are an indicator for the future of democracy, and social change occurs when young people assume their civic duties and replace the older group as voters and leaders (Syvertsen et al 589). Although youth may support human rights and social justice ideals in principle, they usually do not engage in any tangible effort to affect social change (Ry...

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Voting Essay

    836 Words  | 2 Pages

    By not voting in the current elections, politicians are able to continue their role in making our government corrupt. By not voting in the current elections, there won’t be enough votes to push the current politicians to go under the fifty percent mark. Cell phones are causing the same politicians to stay in office. Cell phones are distracting teenagers with their own content like games, applications, and social media. This content is pushing teenagers away from voting at all. They simply don’t care if they see an advertisement anywhere because it has lost their interest so they ignore it. This is making teenagers politically

    Read More

  • Why Young People Do Not Vote?

    993 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although there are 44 million eligible young voters ages 18-29, in 2012 only 45% of them voted. These young people make up one fifth, or 21%, of the eligible voting population, yet they often do not vote. Voting is a tremendous gift! Young people in many other countries around the world have to fight to gain this right. In America, voting is often taken for granted by all age groups, but the youth take it for granted the most.

    Read More

  • Negative Side Of Democracy

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once put it, “Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country” (Roosevelt 1938). In their book, Running from Office, Lawless and Fox argue that a “high-quality, well-functioning democracy demands that the next generations hears – and then heeds – a call to public service” (3). While this assertion is certainly true to some degree, the real problems of democracy will arise when young people disengage themselves from politics altogether. Despite having low interest in running for office, young Americans still show significant interest

    Read More

  • Low Voting In Texas

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    It seems easy since whoever meet the eligibility can do the voting. However, Texas as one of State in United States has the issue with a low levels of participation. Things that accounts for the Texas low levels of participation are age, education level, social-economic status, and the technical registration of voting itself. Due to the problem, there are some ways to increase voter participation

    Read More

  • Mandatory Voting Essay

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever been persuaded into voting? Well, you should have your own say on where your opinion goes. Voting is a right that every citizen in America over the age of 18 can do. Many people have become aware of the fact that the number of voters had reached its all time low. But as the newest voting season comes closer, we should still have a voice and the freedom to decide what we do. Which is, take a step against making America a compulsory voting country, because it proves unnecessary and there are other alternatives than mandatory voting.

    Read More

  • Political Psychology Essay

    1506 Words  | 4 Pages

    Henn (2002) conducted a research on “Youth and political participation in Britain” reports that young people actively and enthusiastically take interest in politics. The perception is absolutely

    Read More

More about Youth Voting

Open Document