Youth election apathy turns wheel of discontent

EDITORIAL BOARD Christine Byrd
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While many people will participate on Election Day on Tuesday
and vote for leaders and propositions across the state and nation,
most young adults will stay home. In fact, less than 20 percent of
people age 18-24 voted in the 1998 midterm elections, according to
the United States Census Bureau. Apparently, students are not aware
of the power they possess to change the nation and their community.
It’s time to wake up.

Students who are politically apathetic or who believe individual
votes don’t count need to realize that with our rights as
citizens come responsibilities.

Major presidential candidates pay about as much attention to
young adults as the young adults pay to them. Undoubtedly, social
security and prescription drug benefits have been two key issues
for Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush. In
the last election, 67 percent of senior citizens turned out to
vote. See the connection?

Students should make candidates aware of what matters to them by
using their vote. Politicians get into office by pleasing the
largest group of voters and if students turn out to vote in greater
numbers, politicians will find it in their best interest to cater
to students.

If young people feel alienated by the major candidates, they can
always look to third parties. While voting for a third party
candidate will not likely lead to a victory, it may help the
candidates reach the 5 percent required for federal funding in
future campaigns.

In 1988, Ross Perot achieved over 5 percent of the vote and some
believe candidate Ralph Nader will do the same in this election.
Whether the candidate who is closest to your views and issues is
mainstream or not, vote.

Not voting does not send a message of dissatisfaction, it sends
a message of acceptance that someone else makes the decisions that
affect you.

Yet while youth voter interest in national elections is low, the
interest in state and local elections is even lower. This is
especially alarming since winning in a local election takes fewer
votes, increasing the influence of each individual vote. A
considerable student turnout in our district could sway the
election in favor of candidates who care about student
interests.

California’s representatives in Congress and the Senate
may not seem as influential as the president, but they do carry
weight. We must elect representatives that uphold our beliefs and
focus on our issues because they can serve as a check on a
president with whom we disagree.

Even more appalling than the apathy toward electing officials is
the apathy toward the state propositions. These propositions, if
passed, will become law and will impact the lives of all
Californians, regardless of whether or not they voted.

As it turns out, high and middle-class white voters are in the
majority during elections, granting them an influential voice in
what passes into policy. Some of the recently passed legislation
reminds us of the effects of allowing a select population to
determine state laws.

Included among heinous propositions that have been voted into
law in the past is Proposition 187, which proposed to take away the
rights of immigrants. Fortunately, it was struck down by the
courts.

But do not forget the passage of Proposition 209, the law that
banned the use of affirmative action for admissions at public
universities. In effect, it denied many minorities access to a
higher education and adversely affected the diversity of college
campuses across the state.

This spring, California voters also approved Propositions 21,
which lowers the age at which juveniles can be tried as adults for
certain crimes and Proposition 22, the measure that prevents the
recognition of same-sex marriages.

Given that the majority of voters came from an elite group that
gets out and votes, is it really surprising that such abhorrent
propositions passed? Students who don’t agree with the
content of these propositions should use the fact that they were
passed as an incentive to vote. If students put down their
textbooks and vote, propositions like this may not pass in the
future.

Those who do not vote overlook the historic struggles fought
throughout history to ensure equal rights. From the Revolutionary
War to the Civil Rights Movement, Americans constantly fought and
died to ensure this country lived up to its democratic ideals.

Expressing apathy toward voting essentially means we don’t
care about how our future will be influenced by today’s
leaders and their ideas. As the future leaders of the world, we
have an obligation not to let others choose our policy makers for
us. Nor should we wait until legislation detracting from our
personal liberties is passed to care about voting. We need to
determine the type of nation we will live in tomorrow by voting
today.