During the 2000 election cycle I was working on a national level with multiple organizations focusing on young people and voting. We knew that we could turn out a strong youth vote that could sway the election. (An important note is that all 3 organizations are non-partisan.) It was a valiant effort by some really great organizers, but it failed to have the impact it was hoping for.
Then in 2004 we all remember how the young ‘hip-hop voters’ were going to sway the election in spite of contradictory polls. There was that whole theory about how hip-hop voters weren’t being polled because they only had cell phones. It was a valiant effort by some really great organizers, but it failed to have the impact it was hoping for.
Now in 2006 I am once again hearing the familiar story:
A Harvard poll released on Wednesday shows 32 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds “definitely” plan to vote next week. That would mark the highest youth turnout for a midterm election since 18-year-old Americans were first able to vote. The national voting age was lowered to 18 from 21 by constitutional amendment in 1971.
“Younger voters could make the difference in campaigns across the country,” said Jeanne Shaheen, a former New Hampshire governor and director of Harvard’s Institute of Politics, which conducted the poll.
Ok, listen up. Young people do not vote! The young people are not going to come out to the polls and save the democrats. Young people don’t give a shit who wins the election. Sure, there are pockets of do-gooders out there with informed opinions who are excited to do their civic duty, but they are not going to be swaying any elections any time soon.
It is not cool to Ace all your classes in High School and it is not cool to vote. Get over it and quit recycling the same rumor every single election cycle.
