Publication Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2004
A new generation of activism?
A new generation of activism?
(September 15, 2004) Young voters may be turning on to politics
by Alex Doniach
Young people don't vote. At least that's the word on the street. MTV launched its "Choose or Lose" campaign to excite 18-24 year olds into the polls and celebrities are jumping on campaign bandwagons in an effort to popularize politics.
But what do young people really have to say about this upcoming election?
Daniel Kilduff, 20, attended the Democratic National Convention this July and felt inspired by the enthusiasm.
"The convention really was just a pep rally," Kilduff said. "It gets people excited and brings support. Politics isn't just for fat guys with sliced back hair. It's for everybody and the convention made me really want to stay part of it."
After years of political inactivity, could this election be just what young voters need to get reinvigorated about politics? Since 18 year olds were first given the right the vote in the 1972 elections, voter turnout for 18-24 year olds has steadily declined. While 50 percent of young people voted in 1972, less than 20 percent made it to the polls in 1998, according to the New Millennium survey.
Kai Stinchcombe, president of Stanford Democrats, thinks those numbers are changing. He admits college kids can be apathetic it comes to political action, but this year his organization has reached membership figures that rival those during the Vietnam War era.
"Kids have come the realization that the world we are going to live in is being shaped by decisions made today," Stinchcombe said. "The environment, abortion rights, discrimination of gays and lesbians are all issues that show up on the college student radar."
Jason Yen, 20, was one of about 155 pages at the Republican National Convention between the ages of 18-21. He said the energy visible among young attendees was contagious.
The young volunteers worked hard for their coveted spot on the convention floor, waking up at 6 a.m. to rake and cut down trees in Jersey City Park as part of Bush's Compassion Across America campaign. Yen, a Princeton University junior and Palo Alto native, said the elbow grease was worth it. He got to mingle with top politicians and even attend Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's cocktail party at the Central Park Boathouse.
"The energy and excitement level was high," Yen said. "We were all deprived on sleep and all working hard as we could because we knew it would make difference."
Meeting such luminaries as Madeleine Albright and Barak Obama, left Kilduff awe-inspired. He looks forward to returning to Stanford University in the fall and working hard to get other college coeds equally excited about an election that could directly affect young voters.
"All of us were so excited," Kilduff said. "Being in that environment makes you think twice about how you can contribute. Getting to mingle with wealthy fund-raisers and policy wonks and is just so exciting."
The biggest challenge facing young people isn't apathy, but the belief that their vote doesn't count, said Kilduff, a Stanford University junior. In a New Millennium survey among 18-21 year olds, 66 percent felt left out of political decisions. Kilduff said that belief is that main factor driving kids away from the polls.
"We need to bring politics back to the people," Kilduf said. "So many people turn off to politics because they don't see it as a way to service their community, but it can be a powerful tool."
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