To have Florida as the focus of this week’s Special Report is well timed, given that the state has been the focus of the country—and of litigation—relative to its precious, presidential election-deciding electoral college votes.
Whatever your political orientation, the essential lesson to be learned from this election, according to many well-regarded experts, is that your vote does make a difference. While I wholeheartedly agree with that assertion—especially given the Supreme Court appointments potentially looming during the next four years—for some reason, it still rings a bit hollow to many. And I can understand why.
Even in anticipation of a close race, turnout for the election was disappointing. And the figure for America’s youth was even more discouraging. Back in ’92, 43 percent of young people—the coveted 18- 24-year-old demographic—turned out at the polls, bucking a trend of declining youth participation. But that number plummeted to 32 percent in ’96, and word is that this year, the returns aren’t much better.
Certainly, the 10-year-old Rock the Vote movement has tried to make a difference. The organization’s thought-provoking, five-spot campaign, produced by Propaganda and sister company Satellite, has been well received, and helps to show how voting can directly impact such issues as racial profiling, education and political influence peddling (SHOOT, 11/10, p. 7).
So why the apathy? Before branding the young generation as uninterested, disinterested, or insensitive to the value of the ballot, there are other factors to be considered. Drawing upon polls and research, academicians and political observers have noted that young people—weaned on such affairs as Iran/Contra and Clinton/Lewinsky (and its resulting impeachment mess)—are simply ignoring a system they view as incredibly flawed. How many elections turn out to be a choice between the lesser of two evils? Cast your ballot in favor of tweedle dum or tweedle dumber. Is public service attracting the best and the brightest—or just the best at raising money? In the case of Bush and Gore, I’ve heard some quip that the country would be better off if both conceded.
Additionally, every four to six years, the same promises are seemingly made—a decent level of healthcare for all Americans, making children a priority, a commitment to education, campaign finance reform—and given the results, those promises often seem little more than expedient rhetoric.
In our own universe, does so-called advocacy advertising generally add to the rhetoric, cloud the issues or make a meaningfully positive difference? What about the ad campaigns run by the candidates? Mudslinging and distortion may win an election for a candidate, but they also serve to lose and alienate many potential voters, who opt to tune out and channel their energies elsewhere.
Indeed, such channeling is taking place in the younger demographic. Recent studies reveal that those young people who decide not to vote are nonetheless concerned about society and have been active on other civic-minded fronts. A record number of young people have opted to put energies into community service, which touches human lives and offers more immediate gratification.
Thankfully, many young Americans have hopped aboard the volunteerism/community service bandwagon, but not so the voting bandwagon. Arguably this lackluster turnout at the voting booth is an unfortunate indictment of not only our young adults, but even more so the candidates who emerge from a system marred by the financial prerequisites of becoming "electable."