LAST TUESDAY marked a milestone for Iraqi democracy with an official announcement that the nation's constitution had been adopted by a fair majority. On the same day, the media carried a far more grim alert, as the U.S. military death toll reached 2,000. While this may not be news to the well-informed University student, it is important to note that the overwhelming majority of the brave men and women serving and dying in Iraq are not much older than you and I. According to figures from the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, which gathers the bulk of its data from the U.S. government, almost 70 percent of U.S. casualties in Iraq have been under the age of 30.
Of the 2,000 troops lost since Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced in March of 2003, nearly a third of these servicemen and women were between the ages of 20 to 22 -- an age when we Wahoos are gallivanting around the Corner and fretting about theses and second-round interviews. Our brave peers in Iraq are putting their lives on the line to defend and promote freedom and democracy, while many young Americans succumb to apathy, cyncism or laziness when it comes to their own duties as citizens. With a statewide election coming up on Tuesday right here in Virginia, each of us should seriously examine the candidates and issues on the ballot and exercise our right to vote. If we take our responsibility as citizens as seriously as our peers in Iraq take their role as soldiers, our democracy would be far more robust and we -- young people -- would have a louder voice in politics.
The 2004 presidential campaign produced a landmark year for youth involvement in politics. We were seen as a force to be reckoned with, as the Bush campaign drove "Reggie the Rig" through college towns to register new voters and John Kerry's daughter Vanessa traveled non-stop, speaking to enthusiastic young supporters at the University and throughout the country. Not since the hotly contested 1992 election -- the one in which Bill Clinton played his saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show and was asked "boxers or briefs?" on MTV -- was youth turnout so high.
According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 47 percent of eligible 18- to 24-year-old Americans voted in last November's election, up from 36 percent in 2000. These 24.9 million young people went to the polls for various reasons, ranging from issues like the war in Iraq to the polarizing nature of the presidential campaigns to the extensive efforts to target young voters that ranged from Rock the Vote to World Wrestling Entertainment's Smackdown Your Vote, to the coalition of University student groups that worked on grounds as the "2,004 in 2004" project. The youth bloc voted in record numbers. It is our responsibility to continue this trend in the 2005 election and show that our generation is one of responsible and dedicated citizens.
On Nov. 8 there will only be a handful of elections around the country. All eyes are on Virginia and New Jersey, as we decide not only the future inhabitants of the governors' mansions, but also the direction of the country and the national electorate. We need to prove that last fall's increase in youth voting wasn't an aberration but the beginning of a long trend of higher turnout. If young people come out in force next week, it will show that there is something different about our generation; that we care about politics becausewe also deserve a voice in the halls of power.
Unfortunately, since this is an off-year election and no gubernatorial candidate has succeeded mobilizing many voters outside his base, all signs point to abysmally low turnout across the board. While Democratic candidate Tim Kaine, Republican candidate Jerry Kilgore and independent candidate Russ Potts prattle on about abortion, the death penalty and taxes, the responsible citizen needs to take a closer look at the candidates and make a well-informed decision. Check out their Web sites -- kaine2005.org, jerrykilgore.com and russpotts.com -- and remember that the governor's budget affects everything from our roads to our schools.
We're at the University to earn a degree, but also to learn how to think critically, make decisions, open our minds and understand the world around us. A public institution like the University is committed to producing an educated and responsible citizenry, and we must take our privileges and duties as citizens seriously. On Nov. 8, remember to vote.
Samantha Silverberg is a fourth year in the College. She is an intern at the Center for Politics and is the coordinator of the 2005 Student Voter Registration Coalition.
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