When analyzing the voting turn out in this nation is becomes evident that the youth of America tends to be less active compared to their elders. Written in the book "Is Voting for Young People" by Martin P. Wattenberg he breaks down the key components connecting the youth of America to voting in order to come to the conclusion of how active the youth is in politics, and ways to make them more involved. One of the first connections Wattenberg makes is raising the issue of whether or not newspapers are a dying habit when looking, not only at the adolescents of America, but as the country as a whole. Overall, he states that the number of people who consistently read a newspaper on a daily basis has remained on a steady decline as the years go by. Wattenberg brings up the topic that earlier on in history the newspaper was the means of information for people all across America, and it was filled with political news to keep the citizens informed. However, in today 's society not only has technology taken over this old time habit, the new …show more content…
According to Wattenberg, "With recent generations establishing modern lows for newspaper reading, TV news watching, and knowledge of public affairs it is expected that their turnout rates should be falling substantially behind their elders" (Wattenberg, 88). After stating that quote he goes into more detail on how much this connection fits into a cycle. By youth being uninformed about political and current issues they then fail to show up at elections due to the fact that they do not fully comprehend what or whom they are about to vote for. He begins to express that society is in a cycle where the youth of America will always have the smallest attendance when it comes to
Over time, the youth vote has changed by the amount of youth voting, who they vote for, and the racial differences among the voters. Youth voting is still the lowest
It’s very unsettling to know that there was a six percent decrease in young voters (ages 18-29) in the 2012 election compared to 2008 (Circle Youth data). In 2007 the National Conference of State Legislatures publicly released a report and data set on voter turnout in democratic countries. This is a quote from that report titled Getting out the Vote, “It should be noted that in 1972, 18-year-olds were added to the eligible voting population, thus decreasing the percentages. Nonetheless, voter tu...
Among the many ways Americans can participate in politics, voting is considered one of the most common and important ways for Americans to get involved. The outcome of any election, especially at the national level, determines who will be making and enforcing the laws that all Americans must abide by. With this in mind one might assume that all Americans are active voters, but studies show the voter turnout is actually astonishingly low. With this unsettling trend it is important to know what statistics say about voter turnout as was as the four major factors that influence participation: Socioeconomic status, education, political environment, and state electoral laws, in order to help boost turnout in future elections.
Research has brought about an abundance of reasons why youth are becoming less engaged in the political process. Education, absence of political knowledge, the media and family influence, indifference to election campaigns, inadequate amount of change, and lack of motivation are all possible factors in influencing the youth voter turnout.
Political inactivity on the part of young Americans stems from one fundamental source -- a general cynicism of the American political process. This disdain for politics is further perpetuated by a lack of voter education and a needlessly archaic voting procedure that creates barriers to voting where they need not exist. While many of these existing problems can be rectified with relative ease through the implementation of programs such as Internet voting and better voter education, such programs create only a partial solution.
New voters often make the excuse of not being interested enough in politics to be bothered with voting, and in turn they moan about the government and all of the problems that are caused by it. They decide not to vote, and then blame the older generations for ruining America, when in reality they could have made a big impact on who is elected. Or, they excuse their lack of voting on the fact that it’s just too much work to watch debates and keep up on what each politician is saying. That they cannot take a little bit of time out of their days to update themselves on what’s going on in the world of politics. Even something as simple as skimming social media for a few minutes can educate voters on what they need to know in that moment.
Additionally, voter turnout today is the greatest puzzle among American voting behaviors. Similarly, Congress decided to propose and the states ratified the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. In turn, younger age males are less likely to vote in elections and this was the reason of reduced national turnout rates. Consequently, attitudes towards politics in general can also be a reason for the decline of voters. Identically, voters beliefs are that government choose to ignore citizens, that there are too many politicians, and that the campaigns are extremely long. Still, voter turnout will only increase if the government decides to do something to restore our fate in the political system. Moreover, voters feel a burden
Politicians throughout history inspired many to take an active role in their government by voting and even running for a political office. John F. Kennedy notably encouraged Americans to “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” (Lawless and Fox 138) in his inaugural address. These words inspired many to engage in the political system. Unfortunately, this inspiration is not nearly as common nowadays. Most young people currently only see the negative side of politics. Since the turn of the century, there has been significant economic downturn. Many young Americans have not lived to see the American government truly flourish and therefore are put off by being a part of a system that is in such a dysfunctional state. But as Clawson and Oxley argued, the public’s dissatisfaction is not embedded in the institutions, but in the members of the institutions (2016). Americans are fairly confident in the basic structure of American government, but are disappointed in the way it is functioning with current members. Lawless and Fox argued that none of the current members of Congress “grew up amid the gridlock and hyperpartisanship that characterize today’s politics” (23). Most modern politicians saw the government function well, unlike a large majority of today’s youth. Today’s youth is simply accustomed to a dysfunctional system, turning them off from wanting to be a part of it. Perhaps if the United States government became less polarized, and young Americans saw the system function well, they would want to run for
Voting is an important civic duty that United States citizens earn when they become 18 years old. Some citizens in the United States wish to change this age to 16. Today’s society views 16 year olds as ignorant, care free, and reckless citizens who are definitely not capable of making an appropriate vote. Although some argue there is no such thing as an inappropriate vote, and that voting is not a test of knowledge, it definitely is. As school systems fail to give the required civic education youth needs, 16-year-olds will not be informed to produce quality votes. Imagine 16 year olds who have no preparation, voting for the President of the United States. There needs to be changes within the civics education before the voting age is even questioned. As well as education, 16 year olds also lack responsibility. They are growing up and are under the pressure of peers, family and media sources. With all the pressure and influences resting on their shoulders they should be able to wait two more years for their own opinions and views to develop. While waiting these 16 year olds can also develop a more concerned outlook on politics and become more engaged. Without youth interest in politics lowering the voting age would be useless. For how much work and time is put in to campaigning and engaging youth, the youth should start to show more concern for their government before the efforts are wasted.
In the 242 years since America declared independence, there has been a slow but consistent trend toward the inclusion of more citizens in voting. Gone are the days in which exclusively landowning white males over the age of 21 decide the future of a nation. Any 18-year-old citizen, of any race or gender, can vote for local, state, and national officials. It is only natural that a nation of such democratic origins continues on a path of inclusion, especially for those capable, educated, and with a fresh perspective, such as 16 and 17-year-olds.
In addition, voting would perhaps seem like less of a chore. Could voting be fun and rewarding? Internet graphics, pictures, and sounds could attract young voters in America. Advertising campaign and candidate information web sites could increase issue awareness. Let us get young people excited about voting!
Bringing 16-year-olds into the election will allow for new voices and new ideas that are rarely ever considered by actual adults such as school grade education. More often than not, when a specific age group is finally given the opportunity to express their ideas towards politics they take it. In Canada, after 18-year-olds were given the eligibility to vote, in the 1972 election, voter turnout increased by approximately 2 million ballots in comparison to its previous election in 1968 (E.C 2015). By including 16-year-olds into our election, we would receive new interpretations in our elections that couldn’t be thought of by adults because the experiences they had as a 16-year-old differs from the adolescence we have
As young people’s civic and political participation continues to decline, a number of organizations are working to reverse the decline by increasing opportunities for youth to participate. Communities around the country are taking steps to engage young people through a variety of methods that allow youth to actually participate in policy development and take action on local issues. The effectiveness of such community programs on long-term civic engagement is not well documented, however. This paper presents preliminary research about the effectiveness of one community participation program, the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s Youth Advisory Council. Quantitative and anecdotal evidence, while not conclusive, suggest this community problem solving approach may encourage its participants to engage in other civic and political activities. The paper also discusses the benefits that organizations and communities receive when young people participate in this way, and provides recommendations for developing a similar youth participation program.
I intend to conduct research into the widespread fall of newspaper sales, and how the Internet is causing this, if it is even. Furthermore I will branch out into whether the journalists themselves are to blame, or simply because of citizens’ lack of interest in news, whether it is in the newspaper or the television. I will also investigate how people read their news; do they purchase a broadsheet? What interests them? How much does the Internet take the place of the newspaper? These are all questions and more that I intend to research thoroughly, perhaps with the help of the general public.
As a whole, only about half of the population eligible to vote does so. In the election of our forty-third president, fifty one percent of those eligible voted. The young adult age group, 18-29, makes up the smallest part of that group. Seventeen percent of eligible voters between this age group voted (Lewis). In the latest presidential election, 30 million 18-30 year olds did not vote (Anthony, Skaags). Only a small percentage of voters came out of this age group-the smallest; however, it is not uncommon to see members of the group participating in protests or other complaint oriented activities with the intent of making change. Change is able to come easier than most people think.