Taking back the vote
Subtitle: getting American youth involved in our democracy
By: Jane Eisner.
Edition: 1st pbk. ed.
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 156
Subjects: Youth -- United States -- Political activity; Voting -- United States
Description: No longer spectators : the future is in their hands -- Jennings Randolph's obsession : why one man worked for nearly thirty years to secure the right to vote for eighteen-year-olds -- "An unexpected coming of age" : why so many young Americans voted in 1972, even when the outcome of the election was never in doubt -- Knock the vote : why young people don't vote today, and why the political establishment wants it that way -- The service gap : why so many young people think community service is more effective than voting; which is a shame, because it isn't -- "Hating politics is cool" : why young people know so little about government, and why that matters -- Virgin voters : what will it take to get young people engaged?

Young people volunteer in large numbers, but many of them don't vote. Why? In Taking Back the Vote, respected journalist and political commentator Jane Eisner analyzes this decline in voter participation and suggests concrete ways of reinvigorating the youth vote. Eisner uses the historic 1972 legislation that gave eighteen-year-olds the right to vote as a starting point, then she traces how and why young people have slowly stopped voting since that time. But Eisner asserts that this trend of declining voter participation can be reversed. Civic education, Eisner feels, is the key to bringing young people back into the voting booths. High schools should offer civic education in the same way that they offer music, math, or sports education. Registering to vote needs to be easier. The act of voting needs to be more fully recognized by society-perhaps through something like a First Vote ritual that marks a young person's coming of age as a voter. Filled with moving stories of kids becoming engaged as citizens as well as information and tips, Taking Back the Vote is an inspiring resource for parents, teachers, community leaders, and all mentors who recognize the importance of empowering new voters.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: No longer spectators : the future is in their hands; title: Jennings Randolph's obsession : why one man worked for nearly thirty years to secure the right to vote for eighteen-year-olds; title: "An unexpected coming of age" : why so many young Americans voted in 1972, even when the outcome of the election was never in doubt; title: Knock the vote : why young people don't vote today, and why the political establishment wants it that way; title: The service gap : why so many young people think community service is more effective than voting; which is a shame, because it isn't; title: "Hating politics is cool" : why young people know so little about government, and why that matters; title: Virgin voters : what will it take to get young people engaged?.