Where are the young voters?

Sarah Thompson 2012-02-10 17:18:52

At the beginning of the school year, Jennifer Gosey says her civics students at Burns High School are apathetic and uninformed about national politics. This apathy is reflected nationwide among youth in their voting rates. The national turnout was 58.2 percent in the 2008 presidential election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For citizens ages 21 to 24, it was 46.6 percent, and only 41 percent of citizens ages 18 to 20 voted. Still, this is an improvement from the 2000 presidential election. Citizens of ages 18 to 20 had a 28.4 percent turnout rate, ages 21-24 had a 35.4 percent turnout rate, and the overall populations was 54.7 percent. Presidential elections attract more of the population than congressional elections, and fewer people participate in primaries than the general election. Gosey says that young people in particular are more inclined to turn out for the presidential race. There are a significant percentage of people who just dont vote, said Dr. Michael Kuchinsky, an associate professor of political science at Gardner-Webb University. Kuchinsky adds that for young Americans, the importance of voting and what it means to citizenship isn't always clear because of established nonvoting patterns in households. Dr. Kuchinsky said that the factors which impact young Americans voting patterns are complicated and complex. They include demographics such as a familys race, gender, income and education level. Gosey agrees that most peoples beliefs about politics come from their families, and my students come in with preconceived notions based on that. Some parents are more outspoken than others. Leah Duquette, a civics and economics teacher at Shelby High School said, School life has to complement home life. If support for politics is coming from both sides, students will be more likely to vote. Additionally, many young Americans move out of their precincts when they attend college. Students cant make it back to their home, said Duquette. It seems nonsensical to drive back for one day. I teach my students about absentee ballots, but that takes extra work, Duquette said. Its an issue of convenience. Schools around Cleveland County are working to help increase voting rates. Goseys students at Burns, who begin the year apathetic and uninformed, study the workings of primaries, caucuses and the general election. At the end of the year, her students better understand the duties and responsibilities of being active citizens. Gosey also preregisters all of her students who are at least 16 years old, and Burns holds a schoolwide mock election every four years. Dr. Ben Gaskins, professor of political science at GWU, took a group of students to Winthrop University recently for a roundtable discussion of medias role in politics. Students heard from speakers including Chuck Todd, political director of NBC News, and Steve Brusk, political coverage manager at CNN.

Gardner-Webb tries to expose students to election-year political issues, Gaskins said. My class connects theories of politics in books to practical issues. Ryanne Corder of Shelby is a senior at Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy who is enrolled in advanced placement government and plans on voting. I care about the issues and politics, and I want my vote to count, she said. Some see that it is a problem that civics is taught in 10th grade at Cleveland County schools. Duquette of Shelby suggests that the interest level might be higher if the class were taught when students are 18, because its more applicable to their lives. Matthew Hubacher at Kings Mountain High School said it would be his preference to teach civics to 12th graders, but there are reasons why it is taught earlier. The course used to be taught to the ninth grade, and 10th grade students are more mature and aware, said Coach Chris Codgill, a civics and economics teacher at Burns. He continued, There was a desire not to make students take a class during their senior year that is a prerequisite for graduation. North Carolinas state election and presidential primary is scheduled for May 8, and by law, the deadline to register is 25 days before the election. The general election is Nov. 6. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 requires that public agencies, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, Work First and Medicaid, offer voting registration for the general population, and many youth will register at these places. Nationally, groups such as the League of Young Voters and Civic Youth encourage young people to take the time to cast their ballots. Codgill of Burns teaches his students that living in the United States but not voting is like living in a dictatorship, because someone is choosing your government for you. Hubacher of Kings Mountain said that some countries have compulsory voting laws, but its not the American way to require people to vote. We treasure freedom in a different way, and sometimes that is the freedom not to participate.
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