In the 2004 election, one in which a record number of young people voted, only 51 percent of Americans aged 18-24 were registered to vote and only 42 percent of them actually voted. This is an abysmal number and a sad commentary on the political participation of young voters.
Young voters should be an important constituency. We are, after all, the inheritors of this country, and policies made today will affect us for years to come. Yet because of our low turn-out rates, policies are rarely geared to us and politicians are not often seen reaching out to younger populations.
We constantly hear from talking heads and professors alike that our opinions do not matter because we do not vote. If we want a say in the direction of this country, we have one and only one option. Thankfully, things are beginning to change here at Hopkins.
A new organization called JHU Votes looks to register all Hopkins students, regardless of affiliation.
JHU Votes is a broad coalition of student groups including WJHU, the Programming Collaboration Committee, ACLU, College Democrats, College Republicans, HEAT, Students for Environmental Action, Amnesty International, Circle K, Student Council, Students for Obama and Alpha Phi. It's a long list, but the length speaks to the strength of the effort.
JHU Votes had its first successful registration drive this past Wednesday and looks to have many more.
With the future of the war in Iraq, Social Security, children's health care and a variety of other visceral issues on the table this electoral cycle, everyone has an issue they find important at stake.
Despite all these issues at stake, half of the people between the ages of 18 and 24 are not registered and the majority will most likely not vote if recent history is an indicator. It only takes five minutes of your time to register, so please visit this Web site for the Election Assistance Commission (http://www.eac.gov), click on "register to vote," print out the form, and send it to your home state (or Maryland, as you can register with your school address as well). It really is that easy to register. Whomever you end up voting for in the primaries or on the next Nov. 4, remember to vote. It does make a difference.
