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IRAQ WAR COULD BRING MOST TEENS TO POLLS SINCE 1972
By Caitlin Mac Neal
The effects of the war in Iraq and 9/11 could be the major reasons why teens will vote in the 2008 Presidential election. Young people, pushed by opposition to the war and the constant threat of a draft, are seeking candidates that shares their views.
In a recent informal survey of teens conducted by the Georgetown University Summer Journalism Workshop, 48.5% of teens polled knew a family member or friend who died in Iraq or Afghanistan. The survey also showed that a majority of teens polled said the Iraq war was the main reason they will vote.
When asked if she supported Bush’s Iraq policy, Brenna Tudor, 17, of New Jersey, responded, “I’m literate. I watch the news. How could I?”
The fact that there was a draft for wars like Vietnam really makes me want to voice my opinion more in this war, so that we can come to a peaceful solution,” says Elizabeth Durham, 18, of Texas.
The current war opposition echoes that of 1972: the year teens gained the right to vote. The Vietnam War brought 52 percent of the youth populace to the polls. And Mary McClelland of Young Voter Strategies predicts that the war in Iraq could push teens to the polls for similar reasons.
She projects that 2008 will see the most teens to the polls since 1972. And according to a table released by the Bureau of Census, from the 2000 presidential election to the 2004 presidential election the percent of 18 to 20 year olds voting increased from 28.4 percent to 41.0 percent.
The campaigns recognize this. Candidates are utilizing websites like www.facebook.com and www.myspace.com to reach out to young voters. Barack Obama has his own youth vote website, www.baracktheyouthvote.org.
Organizations are working to reach out to and involve teens in the election. Young Voter Strategies is a group devoted to compiling data about the youth vote and rallying the youth population to participate in politics. www.rockthevote.com is also taking part in the nationwide push for young voter registration and offers easier online voter registration.
Surveys show teens are becoming more involved and are looking for peace and more liberal action in general. A recent poll tallied by Young Voter Strategies shows that a majority of teens are leaning towards Democrats and believe they are doing a better job right now. Similar results were shown in Georgetown University’s informal survey. But these political leanings are not solid. A July Young Voter Strategies poll shows that 20 percent of 18 to 29 year olds are independents. A March 2007 article from the National Journal stated that teens sway to different sides of the spectrum on different issues.
According to Brenna Tudor, 17, “I quote Bob Dylan, ‘you better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone, for the times they are a changing.’ Our government needs to realize this, and react to the new young generation, otherwise there is going to be a repeat of the 1960s.”
Not all adults think teens will respond. Roll Call Reporter Susan Davis said, “I find it hard to get 18 year olds to do anything.”
Some teens agree with this. Of the teens surveyed by Georgetown University, only 52 percent said that teens followed politics, and only 72 percent said they might vote. But some also feel that teens are just not easily swayed and need to be told the effects of their actions, decisions, and votes. Survey results also show that only 20 percent of teens have been contacted by campaigns, which begs the question: have campaigns tried?
“Make them care; show them how it will affect them and their lives,” states Juliette Rickert, 20, of Texas.
Teens need to be reminded of their rights, insists McClelland. She says campaigns need to pay more attention to teen voters because their engagement matters.
“Young people don’t vote because they feel disenchanted with the system,” says McClelland. “We have witnessed a mutual cycle of neglect where young people don’t vote because no one is paying attention to them. No one is paying attention to them because they don’t vote.”
In addition to the war in Iraq, teens are concerned with global warming and foreign policy, according to the survey conducted by the Georgetown University Journalism Workshop.
“I don’t think our executive branch is doing a lot,” says Austin Green, 17, of Florida. “I know congress and environmental agencies…are doing a lot, but the government itself isn’t really taking into account the long term effects.”
Experts say teens today are beginning to understand that what happens now will affect them in the future. Young people are also more liberal about reproductive rights and same sex marriages, according to an article in the National Journal. Most teens interviewed supported gay rights, abortion, and stem cell research.
“There is a separation of church and state in this country, and even if the bible doesn’t allow it, that doesn’t mean the government shouldn’t. Times are changing…” said Jessica Rosenthal, 18, of New Jersey.
Many teens are becoming excited about voting and letting their voices count. The same teens, however, believe that more needs to be done to get more young people voting. “I guess just more involvement in the younger generation, like rallies,” says Chris Ruyak, 17.
“The younger generation is better educated, it knows more about politics, more about the world, than many of the older people. They are smart enough to vote,” said President Nixon in a campaign speech over three decades ago, as cited by Carl M. Cannon in the National Journal. Teens are ready to vote; they just need to be made aware of that.
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