midterm election draft

Kiernan

Monday, November 22, 2010

Youth Vote

During the months leading up to the 2008 Presidential election a fervent effort was made to register Americans to vote and get them to the polls on election day. Students canvassed local areas, poor neighborhoods that had low voter turn outs in the past were hot spots for campaigning, and voter registration booths popped up all around the country’s high school and college campuses. The youth vote was especially targeted, and registering first time voters to the democratic party become A crusade for groups like Move On and Organizing for America.

The frenzy of campaigning worked. On November 4th, 2008, 47% of males citizens and 55% of female citizens ages 18-29 voted and democratic candidate Barack Obama was elected President. That night, in the early November rain thosends congrated in front of the White House in Washington DC, cheering and singing. A young man played the trombone while standing on the top of a police car, the police officers laughed and took pictures on their cell phones. It was a celebration for many, and the youth voters felt personally responsible for the victory.

The concept of youth is defined in many ways, most plaintively in the Merriam -Webster’s dictionary as the ‘period between childhood and maturity.’ Political campaigns targeted the young, many of whom were experiencing for the first time the role of a voting citizen.

Two years later, the efforts made to target the youth to get our on election day were not nearly as big or as enthusiastic by many of the midterm election candidates. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement reported that only 20% of American citizens under the age of 30 voted in the midterm election. The percentage is not unusual compared to past midterm elections, but dismal when compared to the youth turn out during the presidential election.

Analysis’s believe that the candidates are to blame for the low youth vote. They did not do a sufficient job at turning their platforms into something the youth could get passionate about. Most midterm campaigns were targeted at established adults, who for property tax, social security and job benefits were issues they faced daily. Heather Smith of Rock the Vote said, “These young people are willing to participate and be active by nature, but they are not going to show up unless they are invited.” Obama did invite the youth, and that showed on election day. During the fall of 2008 I was spending a semester at American University in DC. The election was everywhere, and not a class went by when somebody got reprehended for their cell phone going off, to which the student would always reply ‘’But it’s Barack Obama texting me.’’

And it was always true. Technology and social media were used as a campaigning device in this election. Candidates had Facebook profiles and texted supporters daily with information and ways to help the campaign. The youth were reminded from every side to vote on election day. Because of these things information was more accessible to the youth because of media outlets like Myspace and Twitter. where candidates and political campaigns and target a specific audience in a fast and concise way.

Rasia Collins, a 24-year-old resident of Harlem, agrees with Smith. On the corner of 125th and Amsterdam Avenue Collins said, “Two years ago we all felt like we were part of something. [Collins and friends] were out canvassing, attending events and rallying. It felt like a community. When Obama won it was like ‘we did this together,’ there was nothing of the sort in the midterm election.” Collins voted in the midterm election, but did not do any research or have much opinion. “I just voted straight democrat,” she said. “I didn’t even know the name of who I was voting for until I got in the booth.”

John Cox, a political analyst said, ”36%of young people said it would not make a difference that they voted. Historically this demographic has been absent from the polling station but it is apparent, through the results of recent elections that candidates must capture the youth bracket in order to win a major election.”

The youth seem to also be disillusioned by politics. Many youth today are underwhelmed with the ‘change’ President Obama promised two years ago.,

The youth generation has been spoiled with instant gratification said media analyst Rebecca Ulmer. “The 20 somethings of this country are used to asking for something and getting it. No lag time, no waiting,” said Ulmer. With mobile e-mail, instant movie downloads, wikipedia and google have made them impatient. “Perhaps we’re just fed up with politics, In 2010 we’re still struggling economically, we still have soldiers abroad dying every day, it’s hard to see the change. It’s not happening fast enough,” said Collins.

MTV News, which covered the 2008 election ferociously and urged the youth to register and vote with success, covered much less of midterm candidates and issues. On MTV.com’s election webpage, an election was created in which MTV fans voted for the President, Vice President, Senate and House of Prop; winners being Justin Beiber, Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and the Jonas Brothers, respectively

Maybe the answer to why so many youth did not vote in the midterm election lies in the publicity and spunk of canidates. “The problem is that there weren’t any rockstars.” said Jesus Fernandez, a 22 year old-resident of Queens. “Barack Obama was a rock star when he was running for President, that was his attitude and that’s how [the youth] saw him. There weren’t any rock stars this time around.” Fernandez believed that kept a lot of young people from voting.

The Republican party gained back control of the senate and house during the midterm election, proving the old adage our elders true, how quickly they forget.’ Whether it be lack of rock stars or of concise information, the things that kept the youth from voting, this election should be a lesson for future candidates. To get the youth mobilized and out at the polls next time, they need to look at what worked in 2008 and get them involved.