OPINION: Youth must be catalysts for change

Every November, we witness an all too familiar scene. Politicians become prone to gaffes courtesy of the 24-hour news cycle, middle-aged constituents concerned about tax increases and job security get fired-up with yard signs and canvassing efforts, and youth become…

Silent.

On my way to the gym on Temple University’s campus last week, I stumbled into a wall of on-the-spot voter registration officials, each one boasting a clipboard and a smile that — to the ordinary passerby — screamed “I’m here to interrupt your day” more than “I’m here to help you participate in an honorable public service.” Curious, I humored the apparent poacher who stopped me, a dark-skinned young woman of about 21 who had an endearing smile and a valiant political energy, and allowed her to persuade me to fill out the necessary registration paperwork on the spot.

Granted, I knew I had already registered even as I was dotting my Is and crossing my Ts, but I wanted to see the process “in action,” and that I did. Signing my name and wishing her well, I walked a few feet past her and stood to watch her colleagues fail in their attempts to flag down college students, who rushed by as if their life depended on where they were going. Even more strikingly, I observed as low-income, North Philadelphia constituents who could easily decide the outcome of the election in the fall turned their nose in ignorance to the registration forms waved in front of them.

Why is it so taboo, such an extraordinary hassle, to be politically involved?

A total of 59% of eligible voters between 18-24 are currently registered to vote. Granted, considering only about a third of the United States’ population votes, this is not a terrible number of registrants; however, being registered and actually voting are two very different things.

Consider this: Out of all the folks with a Bachelor’s degree in the 18-24 bracket, only 51% of those people actually take advantage of their voting power. By comparison, 82% of those 65 and older with a degree voted in 2008.

What, then, is the difference between a 22-year-old college graduate, and a 65-year-old college graduate? One might imagine a fresh-eyed 22-year-old being more empowered as a voter with their life ahead of them than a 65-year-old who has, more than likely, already decided their social and financial future.

Moreover, despite the assumed higher level of political involvement in the Northeast, roughly 3% more youth showed up to the polls in the Midwest in 2008, with minority youth from the Northeast being in the bottom half of the voting totem poll.

Mind you, LGBTQ voting trends among youth are not part of that “minority” category, something that sticks out like a sore thumb on a data sheet in this day and age.

I understand that youth may feel as if they “don’t matter” or that their opinion is invalidated by a lack of life experience, but these are insecurities that must be left behind in large numbers if our country is to be properly reflective of its population. In the case of LGBTQ rights, youth must wake-up and realize that representatives will only open their eyes and begin to care when their chances of re-election begin to look bleak because they can’t win the LGBTQ voting bloc. This is a sad but true reality not just for LGBTQ individuals, but all groups of voters looking to boost their whispered voice with a megaphone.

But that doesn’t mean becoming a defeatist, that means working that much harder to put pressure on representatives and grant your voice the clout it deserves.

Youth hold a unique power in today’s democracy that is largely unprecedented: We are fierce, individual media sources capable of influencing more people than most in the 65 and older bracket can imagine. Though your Facebook or Twitter network may feel like an intimate resource for sharing what you had for breakfast, it actually represents your own mass media opportunity to make your voice heard and participate in the political process in a way that can complement your vote.

I plead youth to stop seeking excuses to not be involved, and start seeking reasons to deepen your own involvement and widen the involvement of your peers. Voting is not an opportunity, it is an obligation, and not just for your parents and grandparents.

Despite the gloomy prospects for voter turnout among youth this fall, with a middle-of-the-road president in terms of popularity and a vanilla Republican candidate who can’t help but remind me of Herman Munster, I still remain optimistic that youth will in fact surprise the masses and come out in large numbers in November.

The power of today’s youth is something no politician should discount, and it is their unique responsibility to make that message ring loud and clear when Election Day approaches on November 6.

This post was written by Brandon Baker, student at Temple University and director of communications for the Pennsylvania Student Equality Coalition.