Election Countdown 5 Days Left!

Sorry for the long delay in posting but for those of you that aren't already aware, election day is right around the corner and I've been busy out getting people to vote.  For those of you that didn't see, Obama was on the Daily Show last night.  Also, an interesting read from the Washington Post.  This Tuesday, November 2nd, millions of people will be casting votes for governors, congressmen, propositions, and countless local officials.  So to get into the election spirit I'll be counting down with a different reason to vote each day.  These aren't necessarily in order of importance since everyone has their own reasons for voting but here goes.

Make the Youth Presence Known


Much was made about the number of young voters that showed up in 2008, as it was the largest number of young people that had since 1992.  Many politicians and news organizations wondered if this was a one year phenomena or whether young people were finally going to be a consistent voting bloc.  The Obama administration was praised for the way they had turned out young people to vote and it was apparent by the 2/3 margin he won the youth vote by that it was successful.  As 2010 approached, it seemed like the next step in youth voting would be seen.  However, many people are now questioning whether that step will be forward  or backward.

Given the history of youth turnout, it is easy for campaigns to simply say that they should save their resources by focusing on more reliable targets but by doing so they are missing the larger picture.  With the young people, there is a large untapped pool of voters that need a politician or party to get behind.  If politicians focused efforts into college campuses, they could capture a largely undecided electorate that, as seen in 2008, can greatly effect a race.

However, the national news media and most politicians are content to ignore the results of the 2008 election and are instead campaigning on traditional methods.  This is why it is important for young people to turn out to vote in these midterms.  It doesn't matter what issue you find most important.  With young people being the most diverse electorate group, there's no single issue that can motivate the entire base.  Many polls show that the economy, educations, and health care are leading issues, but any issue that motivates you as an individual is a reason to show up.  As long as a large group of young people show up to vote, politicians will begin to realize that we can decide whether they continue to stay in office.  They will be forced to listen to the issues that we care about, or risk losing their jobs.  So find an issue or issues that you care about, find out the opinions of the candidates in your district and vote on who you think best represents you.  Your issue may not be a leading issue on their campaign, but if enough young voters show up, your issue can become a priority.  And next election, it will be that much harder for politicians to ignore us.