Essays from Rhode Island


CARA SYSUN
NARRAGANSETT, RI
Not enrolled in school
Born: 1977
Essay themes: Reminding friends and relatives, election day as holiday, internet voting

GABRIEL SCHECK
PROVIDENCE, RI
College student
Born: 1980
Essay themes: Same day voter registration

CARA SYSUN
NARRAGANSETT RI
Not enrolled in school
Born: 1977

Essay themes: Reminding friends and relatives, election day as holiday, internet voting

Apathy. This feeling of unconcern is held by many of America's youth. Many young adults simply do not care about politics or feel that voting and government science is directed towards older individuals. There are many ways to get the youth of American involved in voting and politics. The young adults in the United States will be more apt to vote by interaction and encouragement, by making Election Day a holiday, and by Internet voting.


RING! BRRR ING!! I answered my telephone last September to find the voice of my friend's father. He seemed deeply concerned. I instantly got nervous, assuming something painfully wrong had happened to my friend, Liz.


"Cara, this is Andy Robinson calling", he said sternly and clearly. "Yes Mr. Robinson. How are you?", I responded with a bit of trembling in my voice. "You do realize that today is Election Day, right Cara?", he questioned me. "Of course it is, Mr. Robinson", realizing that I had completely forgotten about the day altogether. "Well Cara, the polls close at 9:00. If I were you, I'd run out right now to cast your vote", he recommended.
"Sure thing, Mr. Robinson. Thanks for calling", I responded and ran out of the house.


I was 21 years old, and the thought of voting had completely slipped my mind. If it
hadn't been for Mr. Robinson's phone call, I would've gone a year without making a
difference, without anybody knowing what my true opinion was. I was quite thankful that Mr. Robinson was passionately involved with politics that he cared to give me a phone call to remind me to voice my opinion. Youth need someone like Mr. Robinson to remind him or her that it is time to cast a ballot. Politics were not a part of my everyday life, as it is not part of many young adults lives, which is why it slipped my mind.


In May, I started by first REAL JOB in the REAL WORLD. I successfully completed my bachelor's degree at the University of Rhode Island and am starting to repay those school loans that I'd been dreading for the last four years of my life. Unfortunately, the company that I work for does not offer Election Day as a holiday. Having a Nine To Five Job, it's very difficult for me to find the time to go to the election booths. I am too tired in the mornings to wake up earlier than I do because I have a long commute
ahead of me, I cannot take time off work and by the time I get home in the evenings, all I want to do is sleep. Had Election Day been a holiday for my company, I would've easily found the time to cast my vote at my local high school. I know what you are saying, "EXCUSES, EXCUSES", but many individuals my age feel the same way.


What's easier than making Election Day a holiday? Being able to vote using the Internet! If internet voting were available, I wouldn't have to find time to get to the high school or make excuses as to why I was not able to vote, I could simply use some of my free time at work to elect the officials/bonds that I felt were decent. Many young adults have access to computers, especially those attending college. This is a highly effective way to get youth to vote. Of course, they still may need encouragement when the Internet voting takes place, but it's much quicker and most likely easier than going to the voting booths.


By implementing all three of the above-mentioned ideas in 2000, I can guarantee that the percentage of youths that vote in America will skyrocket! I am quite confident that the percentage of young adults that vote in the millennium will double if they are able to vote over the Internet on a holiday and are encouraged to vote.

GABRIEL SCHECK
PROVIDENCE, RI
College student
Born: 1980
Essay themes: Same day voter registration

Why do young people not vote in elections? Common explanations are that the youth of America is cynical toward the political process, disengaged from our electoral system, and/or politically apathetic. Yet, while it is true that young people do not vote as often as their older counterparts, the preceding explanations for this lack of turnout are incorrect: for although eighteen to twenty-four year olds do not vote often, they do take part in the political process through other relevant means. Therefore, I will refute explanations that focus on the attitudes of youth towards politics, and instead, argue that young people do not vote as much as other Americans because they do not register to vote as often.

The Current Population Reports of the Census Bureau demonstrated in 1996 that eighteen to twenty-four year old Americans did not vote in elections nearly as often as other citizens. Only 36.9 percent of twenty to twenty-four year olds voted in the most recent Presidential election. Furthermore, only 32.4 percent of eighteen and nineteen year olds voted in the same election. These numbers are particularly disheartening when compared to the average turnout of 58.4 percent. In sum, most people agree that young people are not voting as often as other Americans. Contention, however, stems from the debate over why the youth of America have smaller turnout numbers: is this disparity due to apathy and disengagement, or, are other factors at work?

Some statistics, outside of turnout numbers, demonstrate that young people are not apathetic, but are just as politically active as older Americans. Alan Zuckerman, in his work First Steps into Politics: Networks of Association and the Decisions of Young People to Engage in Political Participation analyzes data from multiple surveys of young and old Americans to determine that American youth in the 1980's "were just as likely as older citizens to discuss political issues and to be members of political organizations or communal associations" (1999, 4). Furthermore, young people were more likely to attend a political rally, try to influence someone else's vote, or work for a political candidate or party (1999, 4). Such statistics demonstrate that voting turnout rates do not serve as complete indicators of political activity among American youth. For upon examination of non-voting political activity, it is clear that young people, overall, are neither apathetic nor cynical towards the political process. Yet, if the youth of America is not more disengaged from the political process than the rest of the country, why do they have disproportionately low voter turnout rates?

The major answer to this question is that young people do not register to vote as often as other Americans. Due to the fact that every citizen must first register to vote before he or she may cast a ballot in any election, registration statistics will play a large role in actual voting turnout numbers. According to the Current Population Reports of the Census Bureau, as of November 1996, only 43.4 percent of eighteen and nineteen year old Americans had registered to vote. Moreover, only 51 percent of Americans of the ages twenty to twenty-four had registered to vote. These numbers are even more discouraging when compared to the national average of nearly 66 percent.

As previously demonstrated, however, America's youth is not any more cynical or apathetic towards politics than the rest of the nation. Therefore, I assert that structural factors in the registration process itself explain the disparity between the registration rates of young and old people. In order to close this gap, I suggest that every person should be able to register the same day that he or she chooses to vote. Same-day registration would limit the negative consequences of young people changing their state residences because they are entering the professional world, or going to school out of state. Furthermore, same-day registration would allow newly eligible voters to register and cast their ballot in one stroke, subsequently leading more young people to the polls.

My personal experience supports this argument. I am currently volunteering for a presidential campaign and majoring in Political Science. Despite my high level of political activity, I am not registered to vote. Previous legislative attempts to facilitate my registration have been ineffective. Because I do not drive, motor/voter legislation does not address my situation. Furthermore, I have pre-registered to vote at my college campus, but Rhode Island officials have misplaced my application numerous times. Same-day registration would help me, and other politically engaged youth, overcome the current bureaucratic hurdle of pre-registration and, in turn, vote in elections.

Same-day registration would increase voting by young people, and subsequently, diminish the myth that the youth of America are apathetic and lack political engagement. Such stereotypes misconstrue the difficulties that young people face in attempting to vote in elections. Therefore, we must not only place greater political faith in the youth of America, but also give our nation's young people every reasonable opportunity to vote; otherwise, the future of democracy is in danger.