Young Voters in 2008

There are quite a few very simple things in life that make me very happy. These include, but are not limited to the following: no line at airport security (this never happens); a new spelling of my name (usually produced by a creative Starbucks employee – I’ve given up hope that the correct spelling will ever surface); sunshine (I’m from California, you had to see that one coming); warm sheets out of the dryer (especially really soft ones); a really good kiss (NOT in the rain – I prefer to be dry, thanks. Snow, however, is acceptable if you’re taking notes); and political primaries with some really solid candidates. There are very few things in life that make me unhappy and they are: Fox News; losing my Trinity ID card; soupy macaroni at Mather (really guys, come ON); and when people accuse my generation of apathy.

By these standards, today’s been a pretty solid day. And the next few months promise to bring more of my favorite things (after all, the east coast has to get sunny again SOMETIME, right?).

Still, one of my biggest peeves is about to resurface, unless our generation does something about it. In every election, people accuse the youth of America of apathy. And it’s not just the youth of America that people complain about. The worst part is that they’re not completely off-base either. The last Federal Election that included a Presidential election (2004) had a voter turnout of 55.3% for all Americans eligible to vote. In 1960, also a Presidential election year, voter turnout was 63.1%. Do we care less today? Does America take our democratic right to vote for granted? Maybe.

But I refuse to believe that our generation does not care who the next leader of our country is. I do, however, believe that we all get busy and forget to show that we care. What I’m asking for is really very simple. Register to vote and then vote. Voice your opinions, because I know you all have one. I don’t care whom you vote for (though, hypothetically, I would have a few concerns about the whole separation of Church and State if one of the nominees were, hypothetically, a Baptist minister – all hypothetical of course, the United States would never stand for that, even if this hypothetical candidate played a pretty sweet guitar chord or two).

My opinion? I think Barack Obama is the man with the right plan (and basically the man in general) and that Huckabee is the one of biggest violations of Church and State in our country’s history (though I do admire his guitar skills and if Stephen Colbert were his running mate as Huckabee has promised, I’d have a hard time saying no to such a dynamic duo of comedy and song). Now go voice your opinions. Fill out that absentee ballot or go to that polling booth, and exercise your right with pride.

2 Comments

• 
  Andrea Wise January 23, 2008 at 9:58 pm

  Well, Jordyn (note the ‘y’, I will never mispell it as my ‘bff like omg’ from home is Jordyn with a y)–

  I’m a little dumbfounded. I log in today to see if the little shpeal that I wrote about voting made it on the website yet, and I see that you beat me to the punch. Anyways, I agree with you about all of us needing to turn in those absentee ballot request forms and vote, although I disagree with you on the candidate of choice. Of the truly electable candidates, I, too, would go with Obama, however, as everyone plainly knows, I’m a proud Kucinich fan. I really think his policies make more sense as he tries to solve the problems of this country, and not just combat them with simple temporary solutions. But to each her own. As long as you vote, I’m happy.

  -Andrea
• 
  Andrea Wise January 24, 2008 at 10:21 pm

  Well, now that Kucinich has dropped out–go Obama!

  :-/