| JuryFury.com
Now Every 15th of the Month ! Online School of Politics |
|||
| Areas of Interest THE USA American Foreign Policy US House and Senate US Presidents State & Local Politics Regional Politics Politics of China The British Commonwealth Indian Subcontinent Middle East The European Union Africa Latin America ASEAN NATO United Nations The Non-aligned Movement Eastern Europe New Nations of the 20th Century General Topics Constitutional Law Human Rights Nuclear Disarmament & Treaties International Warfare Environmental Law Peace Treaties Economic & Social Alliances International Organizations Journalism & Media Racism and Democracy Women in the Workplace Family Law Courts and Practices The Judicial System Higher Education Education and Government Health Care & Insurance Rights of the Disabled Copyright & Working Online Legal Representation Legal Insurance Pornography Domestic Violence Religion & Law Workers Rights Employers Rights Prison & Life after Social Organizations Welfare & Poverty Taxation and Democracy Third World Aid Programs Space Exploration Alternative Energy Petroleum Industry & Cars Nuclear Power Programs for the Arts Sports Education Policing the Internet Privacy and freedom Immigration Food and Regulation War on Drugs War on Pharmaceuticals Public Housing Pollution and Control Sexual Harrassment Discrimination Electoral Process Consumers Rights Investors Rights Abortion Death Penalty Social Security Gender & Sexuality Grassroots Organization ACLU World Watch Oxfam UNICEF United Negro Fund Ford Foundation (suggestions welcome at our chatsite) Law of the Economy Join I-Traderschool, our sister magazine, for debates and news. |
US Elections
How the College Student of America Votes by Eric M Hoover Billiam is your average 19-year-old college student; he lives in a cramped dorm room with two other messy roommates. He eats room temperature pizza that has been sitting on the floor for breakfast. He slips on several empty beer cans while making his way to the huge communal bathroom to blast cold water on his face, in hopes that it will wake him up so he will only be twenty minutes late for class instead of thirty. It's November on campus, and Billiam isn't thinking much about the coming election for President of the United States, or of any Senator or Governor for his state. In fact, he isn't much worried about any election, even ones about school board members and campus faculty; issues that effect him directly. All he is worried about is how he will finish his philosophy paper while trying to write down the last few cords of a song he's writing before the homecoming party on Friday. Billiam isn't the only one on his campus who doesn't seem to worry much about his student council, or the Senate or the President for that matter. According to the United States Census, people between the ages of 18 to 24 account for only 8 to 10% of the total voter turn out in presidential elections. A popular theory used by many political experts is the percentage of voter turn out has to do with the age bracket people are in. For example, 20% of people in their twenties turn out to vote, 60% of people in their sixties turn out, and so on. The biggest complaint young people voice, when asked about their lack of voting interest, is that the candidates do not address issues they feel are important to them. Recently, Presidential hopeful John Kerry has campaigned for changes in gas prices and the economy. Our average college student Billiam has no car, lives on campus and commutes via the campus bus system. Gas prices do not effect him too directly. His college loans could very well be effected by our damaged economy somewhere down the line. However, Billiam isn't worried about that while he is drinking a Red Bull in the Student Center to stay up and study for his algebra mid-term. Another more commonly used complaint is that most young people feel one vote cannot make a difference. If enough people feel it is a waste of time, they just won't turn out to vote. So what about Billiam? What can we do to get him and his friends out there to vote? Programs such as MTV's Rock the Vote and more liberal/grass roots parties (i.e. the Green Party, which ran Ralph Nader for President in the 2000 election) connect with young people, making them feel important and part of the system. It seems the best way to get the youth of America to vote is show them how they can focus on issues which effect them. It can all start with elections on their campus. If a candidate for Student Council wants to close down the Student Center or raise the prices of the vending machines, Billiam may realize voting against that candidate may do some good. One of the best ways to get the youth to vote is by using the unofficial motto of the tobacco industry, "Start them young." Connecting with Billiam, or any other person for that matter, is the key to getting that person involved in choosing who will represent them. One vote may not make a difference, but if young people realize that hundreds, even thousands of votes can indeed make a difference, perhaps then they will not turn a blind eye to the electoral process. About the Author(s): See under Our Contributors to find out about the Author(s) of this article. |
Yahoo! World News Headlines Our Winners Club Our Contributors Research Links Legal Advice ALL Awards & Internships Become an Activist Join an Organization Get Volunteerism Alert Write Letters to a local Politician Start your own Group Applied Politics Projects Suggest a Project Start your Yahoo Groups Get Internship Credit Funding for Projects Encourage Discussion Join Juryfury Chat Promote Juryfury.com Join online discussion Groups Be In the Spotlight Let us Interview you : Authors of political books Activists Journalists Lawyers Law Enforcement Politicians Politican Scientists Be A Columnist Get Internship Credit Write twice a Month Get Heard Start a Yahoo Group Advertise with Us Books (Free) Political Our Staff & Contributors Our Magazines Quietpoly.com I-Traderschool Juryfury.com The Company Our Address: QuietPoly Inc. 240 W. Saunders. Dr. (#146) Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Tel (928) 214-7365 quietpoly@yahoo.com |
|