Taking Back the Vote: Getting American Youth Involved in Our Democracy
Not only are those under 30 less likely to vote today than in the past, says Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Eisner, but "the political establishment wants it that way." Politicians are, according to Eisner, more concerned with issues that affect the middle-aged and the elderly than with those that affect the voting-age youth-Social Security rather than jobs, grade-school reading skills rather than the high cost of a college education. It was different 30 years ago, Eisner writes, when 18-year-olds first gained the vote and "motivation, passion and purpose ... chased them to the ballot box." Eisner sometimes offers truisms to explain the decline in young voters-she blames the media and nasty campaign commercials-and some questions beg for deeper analysis (after all, the young aren't a monolithic group, and there must be different reasons why various segments of the young don't vote). But she highlights significant issues, such as that the young volunteer in large numbers but don't see a link between their service and the role of government. Her suggestions-remove obstacles with, for instance, same-day registration; make politics personal with face-to-face contact; and (a bit vaguely) "give them a reason to vote"-will be debated, but her central concern, about the need for the young to vote, seems inarguable.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.