ON SUPER Tuesday, more than 30 million voters under the age of 30 visited the polls, breaking records in over twenty states. Today the commonwealth of Virginia will hold a presidential primary, hopefully setting our own records. As students of Jefferson's University, we must vote and make sure our voice is heard in this election.
Many young voters may think that their participation in the voting polls would be insignificant. However, you will be invisible until you decide to make your voice heard. If people understand that we really can make a difference, then they will be motivated to vote. The last primary in Iowa shows that a striking 43 percent of eligible youth made it to the polls. Also, on Super Tuesday, the youth vote increased to 16 percent in California. This evidence proves that young adults everywhere are becoming more involved in the upcoming election.
The Democratic primary in New Hampshire ended with an unexpected outcome. The surprising victory of Hillary Clinton resulted from a lot of people's decision to go to vote instead of staying at home. Their votes did not just made a difference; they actually changed the election. Common sense teaches us that an electoral shift like that in New Hampshire is likely to happen again.
The candidates understand this increase in interest and are targeting young voters. Due to the close race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the youth vote will be extremely important in the Democratic primary. According to the Herald Tribune, 57 percent percent of voters ages 17 to 24 said Obama was their first choice, compared with 14 percent for former Senator John Edwards and 10 percent for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. For the Republican party, Mike Huckabee, who won 40 percent of young Republicans in Iowa, seems to appeal more to younger voters than the frontrunner Senator McCain.
Yesterday, Senator Clinton visited Prof. Larry Sabato's American Politics class in hopes of gaining political support from the youth here at the University. She spoke about her lifelong commitment to politics and asked the younger generation to take action through civic involvement and voting. Politics might sometimes be seen as entertaining, she said, but the purpose of it is to improve people's lives.
According to the most recent edition of Time magazine, 58 percent of the population under 30 years of age worry a great deal about stable and well-paying jobs. Also, 59 percent worry about the Iraq War, and most importantly, 62 percent of the population worry about whether or not they will be able to afford health care. The tribulations of the American economy, especially declines in salaries and job prospects, and a large national debt naturally concern ? young people. ? ?.
The young voters see in the opportunity to elect a woman or an African-American as the next president of the United States a unique chance to make history.? The youth vote already has played a key role in earlier primaries. In South Carolina, 18 to 29-year-olds accounted for 14 percent of voters, up from 9 percent in 2004. And in Iowa, young voter turnout rose 135 percent from the previous presidential primary, according to the Los Angeles Times.
If you are registered, please make sure to vote at your designated precinct. If you haven't already registered be looking for booths around Grounds either at Newcomb Hall or O-Hill. A few minutes of your time will allow you to vote this November in the presidential election. Out-of-state registration will also be available at the registration tables. Several politically based university coalitions are working hard to get people registered and excited about the upcoming election. ?
First-years, this presidential election is your first opportunity to make a change -- don't miss it! As Thomas Jefferson once said, "We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate." Your ballot is your vote and your vote is your voice. Make it count.
Charlotte Persant is a third- year and Kendall Williams is a first-year student in the College.
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