Youth vote turnout
by Justin Breuer
Editor-in-Chief
A key deciding factor in the 2004 Presidential election was the youth
turnout. If enough young people voted this election, a political shift
of dramatic proportion will occur.
Will corruption leave Washington D.C.? Of course not. Will the political
landscape change, allowing for candidates with actual vision to run for
office? Of course not.
What will happen, though, is nothing less than a monumental shift in
campaign promises and the elected administration’s policy.
When candidates step on their stumps and read speeches to the masses
on the subject of a potential draft being reconstituted, they are talking
to the parents of children who could get drafted.
When candidates talk about education, they’re not talking to students,
but the parents of students. Is this starting to make sense?
Politicians don’t care about you, the young voter. If we turned
out in enough numbers this election, then come next election we will be
a highly contested demographic. What does this mean?
When the Bush Administration announced its policy of giving migrating
worker status to illegal aliens, it was only for political reasons. Even
with this new policy in place, illegal immigration into the United States
will remain a problem.
The new policy does not address the inherent flaws of our immigration
policies, in both physical and intellectual realms. The only purpose served
here, it would appear, is to appeal to family members and friends of illegal
immigrants to vote for Bush. The policy is aimed at securing votes for
the next election.
This means that come next election, 2008, our demographic of young voters
might also be given promises or policies to sway us to vote for one candidate
or another. This could mean lower car insurance. Can you imagine how much
that would rock? What about more funding for higher education or an increase
in Pell Grants or student resources? What about more student loans with
more than reasonable payback options?
It only goes deeper from here. If young voters turned out in force, then
they will get respect. Granted, a lot of young people are, well, a little
“out there.” But imagine a government that attempts to figure
out what issues young voters care most about and prepares federal policy
in order to sway their vote. If we turned out in enough numbers, we will
have a voice and quite a voice at that.
The day before the election almost every poll showed a race too close
to call. If the race turns out to be an obvious victory for either candidate,
there will be one major factor as to why that is—the hundreds of
thousands of new registered voters. Not only will young voters get a voice,
theirs will be an election-deciding voice. The politicians next election
won’t dare to discount us. They won’t dare.
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