Spring Break
Youth and voting
Andrea Robertson
Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: Opinion
Voters 18 to 29 years old hold an estimated 20 percent of the eligible voting population.
Nov. 4, 2008 is Election Day; a day that presidential candidates and fellow citizens hope that as many people as possible will cast their vote.
The 2004 election saw the largest potential youth voter population in 20 years, according to former CIRCLE Director and current CIRCLE Senior Adviser William Galston. One-fifth of the 2004 eligible voting population was composed of citizens ages 18 to 29, an approximate 41 million voters.
It has been speculated that the voting-trend will continue to rise. Once you begin to vote, you are more likely to continue. Thus, voting is a "habit-forming activity," according to Donald Green, director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University.
In April of this year, Karlo Barrios Marcelo, a research associate for CIRCLE, arranged a fact sheet about young voters in North Carolina, which presented that only 45 percent of eligible North Carolina citizens ages 18 to 29, showed up to the polls to vote in 2004.
However, by combining Marcelo's information and the population results from the 2000 N.C. census, only about 634,000 of the 1.4 million eligible youth voters possibly voiced their opinion in the Bush/Kerry election.
This is one of the most pivotal elections in U.S. history. We will have either our first Black president or our first female vice president. The results of this election will also determine the path our country takes economically and in foreign policy, two issues that greatly affect our citizens, especially with our disdain for rising gas prices.
This election season also had another first; it was the first time a presidential candidate visited ECU.
Both candidates know how important the youth vote can be if we make an effort to care enough to vote.
The decisions made by the new president will affect everyone. If you do not vote, you are allowing someone you did not attempt to elect, to govern you.
Nov. 4, 2008 is Election Day; a day that presidential candidates and fellow citizens hope that as many people as possible will cast their vote.
The 2004 election saw the largest potential youth voter population in 20 years, according to former CIRCLE Director and current CIRCLE Senior Adviser William Galston. One-fifth of the 2004 eligible voting population was composed of citizens ages 18 to 29, an approximate 41 million voters.
It has been speculated that the voting-trend will continue to rise. Once you begin to vote, you are more likely to continue. Thus, voting is a "habit-forming activity," according to Donald Green, director of the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University.
In April of this year, Karlo Barrios Marcelo, a research associate for CIRCLE, arranged a fact sheet about young voters in North Carolina, which presented that only 45 percent of eligible North Carolina citizens ages 18 to 29, showed up to the polls to vote in 2004.
However, by combining Marcelo's information and the population results from the 2000 N.C. census, only about 634,000 of the 1.4 million eligible youth voters possibly voiced their opinion in the Bush/Kerry election.
This is one of the most pivotal elections in U.S. history. We will have either our first Black president or our first female vice president. The results of this election will also determine the path our country takes economically and in foreign policy, two issues that greatly affect our citizens, especially with our disdain for rising gas prices.
This election season also had another first; it was the first time a presidential candidate visited ECU.
Both candidates know how important the youth vote can be if we make an effort to care enough to vote.
The decisions made by the new president will affect everyone. If you do not vote, you are allowing someone you did not attempt to elect, to govern you.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Sinjun
posted 9/22/08 @ 5:27 AM EST
sometimes i can argue quite a bit about what i see here and too often i don't congradulate as well... which can be a problem. I thought this was a pretty good article it's nice to see something that isn't blatantly one way or another and simply gives important information. (Continued…)
Sinjun
posted 9/22/08 @ 1:13 PM EST
i have problems spelling sometimes the letters look odd to me >.>
and eh i complain about lack of research sometimes that make no sense even in an opinion piece, or craziness that has come out from the election. (Continued…)
Post a Comment