In contemporary American politics, “youth vote” has become an oxymoron. Young people consistently fail to show up at the polls. We have been deemed too apathetic and disengaged for political activism. According to political strategists, engaging young people is a waste of time that could be better used on our grandparents – a more reliable voting bloc.
But why are we so quick to accept the idea that young people are apathetic? There is nothing in our genetics that indicates we are naturally lazy or disinterested. It seems absurd to explain away low participation among young voters by arbitrarily assuming none of us care. So I have a different theory: I think the idea of energized and active young people scares the shit out of people. When our generation shows up, we have incredible power to disrupt the status quo. As a result, we have been systematically removed from the political process.
In November of 2008, only 1000 out of 8000 undergraduate students at Saint Louis University voted in the presidential election. Imagine, however, that all 8000 had gone to the polls. Based on the election results in the 19th Ward, as well as exit polling data, we can make a conservative estimate that SLU students voted for Barack Obama by a 60-40 split. Had all 8000 undergraduates voted, assuming this 60-40 split, SLU students would have had a 4800 vote sway on the election. John McCain won Missouri by about 3500 votes in 2008.
Not convinced that SLU students have voting power? Take a look at the margin of victory in a few recent elections:
• August 2010 Primary Election: Penny Hubbard won her race against incumbent James Morris for the State Representative in the 58th District by 304 votes.
• August 2008 Primary Election: Robin Wright-Jones won her race against Rodney Hubbard for the State Senate in the 5th District by about 100 votes.
• August 2004 Primary Election: Russ Carnahan won his race against Jeff Smith in the 3rd Congressional District by less than 1800 votes.
Conceivably, the student body of Saint Louis University controlled enough votes to choose their own State Representative, State Senator, and United States Congressman. SLU students are capable of having an impact – so why don’t we?
SLU students, and young people in general, are blocked from the political process in a number of ways. The most detrimental of these is misinformation. According to the Missouri Secretary of State, “if you are from another state and are attending college in Missouri, you have the option of registering to vote from your Missouri residence, or keeping your registration in your home state and voting by absentee.” However, most students are unaware that they can register to vote on SLU’s campus, and efforts to educate students about their voting rights have been extremely limited.
Before the 2008 presidential election, those students that did register to vote at their SLU address did not have a polling place on campus. They had to find time between their Tuesday classes to walk several blocks from campus to cast their ballots. This obstacle translated into low voter turnout – only about 50 SLU students voted in the 2008 presidential primary. Only when students began organizing and petitioning the university and the local board of elections did we finally obtain a polling place of our own.
Our experience at SLU reflects a national reality. Young voters are consistently disenfranchised in the political process, not only as a result of obstructions like the voter registration process, but also by the persistent removal of our voice from the political discourse. Our ideas are dismissed as idealistic and naïve because they challenge the status quo of American politics – a status quo characterized by leaders who become so entrenched in established schools of thought that become incapable of seeing beyond their own demagoguery.
We are not completely blameless – we have allowed ourselves to be relegated to the periphery of our politics. We have accepted and even embraced the perception of youth apathy. We have surrendered to the status quo without a fight. If we want to take America forward, we must organize our generation and demand to be heard, we must stop allowing accusations of apathy to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we must do what the entrenched forces of the status quo fear most: VOTE.
To find out about the upcoming elections and how to register to vote, visit www.sludems.com
