Once again, it's time to harp on what could be considered an overtired subject covered by this particular editor in chief - youth voting (in essence, you 20-somethings, us).
The Washington Post just published an article on the altogether too-familiar and too-disturbing subject of youth apathy in voting. The headline? "Young Voters' Disengagement Skews Politics." The message? The age demographic of 18 to 30 is messing up American politics.
How many times have you said that your vote doesn't count? That you don't vote as a form of protest? That nothing will ever change even if you do vote? That voting is simply a waste of time? We hear it over and over and over, like a gonging litany denoting brain paralysis.
A quick history lesson: this country was founded upon the principles of a democracy, which Webster's dictionary defines as "1 a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections."
That's pretty straightforward. The majority rules. Are older people in this country the majority? They are only when the younger generation doesn't vote. The Post quoted Thomas E. Patterson, a Harvard political scientist, saying that "If young people don't vote, their issues don't get addressed, which further diminishes their incentive to participate in the process and keeps the downward spiral going. We've got a real disconnect between the rational strategies for candidates to win elections and good strategies for maintaining a healthy democracy."
What's going to happen when all those people of the ages 65 and over finally up and die? We will be left with an entire generation of 30-50 year olds who don't participate in our faltering democratic process, and what would be the end result? A whole new political system that could edge on the destabilization of our government and the implementation of whole new governmental structure - say, maybe an oligarchy, where one small group maintains governmental control? People may think that we have something of an oligarchy now, but that's not true. A true oligarchy would spell disaster. And with a generation so utterly apathetic, who's to say we would organize a revolution anyway?
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The only way to change the face of American politics and usher in a new generation of politicians who care about our issues and pay attention to the youth market is to get to the polls or to cast an absentee ballot.
So, if you're already registered, call the County Clerk's office at 268-4090 and request an order for an absentee ballot if you don't have time to go down to the polls. If you're not registered, pick up a copy of the student organization booklet and call any member of the College Democrats or College Republicans. They'll help you out with information.
And your vote really does count - I swear.
Angela Williams
Editor in Chief
