Political representation in the information age

We have all heard the stereotype that college students are politically apathetic. And at the top of this list of indifference, supposedly lies Johns Hopkins, filled with students too engrossed in studies and science to care about the questions of the outside world.

It is a stereotype that has permeated our own attitudes, our school and, unfortunately, the political system as a whole.

For reasons not entirely within our control, young people of the 21st century are among the most politically disenfranchised groups in this country.

But is this political disenfranchisement the result of uncaring indifference? Do the students of Generation Y not feel the same passion as their parents who had marched on Washington or organized hunger strikes?

Not a chance. What students in this 21st Century realize is twofold. One, that the political establishment as it currently exists, is immune to their cries. And two, that political activism in the information age takes a very different form than that of our forebears.

With gridlock in Washington and endless blowhard politicians, fewer students see the appeal of the conventional political process. What students do realize, however, is that grassroots organizations can still be effective means towards change.

Students understand the power of bottom-up political movements. Regardless of how broken Congress may seem, countless young people are marching door to door, making phone calls, and hanging banners calling for social and political change.

Their efforts cannot be overshadowed, no matter how often dysfunction reigns in the news.

But students today also realize fundamental changes are afoot. Political activism in the age of Facebook takes a different face than what our parents would ever know.

A Twitter feed in the virtual square can carry the weight of a bullhorn on a public street corner. The forces of technology were on full display earlier this year in the "Arab Spring," yet what many forget to consider is just how fundamentally this technology will continue to alter political activism in our own country.

A new group  on campus, Americans Elect, is dedicated to nothing less than completely changing the way presidential elections work in this country.

Instead of political establishment, Americans Elect sees people power. Instead of closed primaries and partisan-profiting nominating process, they see open sourcing. Can the presidential elections truly be open-sourced, you ask? You bet.

Americans Elect is creating the nation's first ever, open nomination process - open to all registered voters. People like you and me, via a virtual interface, can shape the debate, create a political platform and, eventually, nominate two candidates for president and vice-president. Think it sounds unreasonable?

Here's the catch. . . Americans Elect is set to be on the ballot in all 50 states. Yes, you heard right.

Whoever is chosen via this truly popular effort will have the chance to campaign for president and, moreover, actually compete.

The online nomination will be held in June of 2012, but they are recruiting student leaders now.

What kind of nominee will present himself or herself after it is all said and done? It's impossible to tell; this will not be a choice made behind closed doors or by the bigwigs in the establishment.

This will be a choice made 100 percent by the people, which presents a perfect opportunity for those who are most clamoring for a voice in today's poisonous political environment: the radical centrists.

With the seemingly unyielding trend towards political polarization and partisanship in Washington, the forgotten center is reclaiming their voice. And with more people identifying as independents than ever before in our nation's history, those who choose to put party before country should look again.

I do not know how successful this Americans Elect effort may be, but the movement gives me hope for two reasons.

First, we have moved beyond the tipping point in political risk – the nation's problems are too great for marginal or incremental political reform. The system needs a shock to its very core. And second, the 2012 election cycle should be the year in which youth finally find a voice.

With voter turnout amongst young people continually raking among the lowest of demographics, this can be the year in which we give our generation a new reason to get involved. We are not feeding a political system that ignores their voice; we are creating something new.

For Hopkins students tired of the apathetic label: get involved. This is your chance to make a difference.