Youth Radio - Topic: Voting

The Shifting Beliefs Of New Hampshire Young Voters

denise — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:41:14 -0600

Since the general election in 1998, youth voters (18-34) in New Hampshire have been more active than their peers around the country. In fact, according to a recent study by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), the youth turnout in New Hampshire reached an impressive 43% percent in 2008.

University of New Hampshire Political Science Professor Dante Scala tracks voting behavior, and has been watching the role young voters in New Hampshire, especially young conservatives, will play in the primary.

Professor Dante Scala: When I started teaching back in 2000, if you were young and conservative and a bit rebellious, you were probably looking at John McCain. He was seen back then as this maverick Republican who wanted to fight the establishment and so forth. Now, 12 years later, John McCain is supporting Mitt Romney who is an establishment figure, so if you’re young and conservative and rebellious, you’re likely now looking at Ron Paul as your candidate. It’s rather stunning that as clearly the oldest candidate (and he looks the oldest of the candidates), again and again (Ron Paul) appeals to the youngest voters. The younger you are in New Hampshire, if you’re going to vote in the Republican primaries, the more likely you are to vote for Ron Paul, but people Ron Paul’s own age are probably least likely.

DS:My sense from college students, (is that) their libertarianism does cross over to social issues and that’s especially true with the drug war, and that’s especially true with legalization of drugs. (For example) you find...younger evangelicals much less likely to be doctrinaire and opposed to say, gay marriage, as opposed to their parents and grandparents. For young people, being conservative today is more about liberty.

Q:Is there anything else that you think is especially interesting...that young conservatives are looking for in your research?

DS:My overall sense is that young people are looking for....a much more bare bones type of conservatism. It doesn’t seem to be mixed up a lot with social conservatism. It doesn’t seem to be mixed up with national security issues. It’s more about libertarianism and creating some space for themselves, some liberty for themselves at home.

Professor Dante Scala was interviewed by Ike Sriskandarajah in New Hampshire. Find more of that interview below.

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(download mp3)

To hear more about young conservatives from Youth Radio's Election Desk, check out our coverage from Iowa here.

Young Voters Not Jazzed About Midterm Elections

rgee — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 09:02:52 -0500

The youth turnout at the polls yesterday was... disappointing. That is if you were a Democrat banking on the youth vote. 18 - 29 year-olds did not show up for Democrats in the numbers the party leaders wanted.

In 2008, young people came out to vote in higher numbers than ever before. President Obama’s message of hope and change succeeded in reaching 18 - 29-year-olds in 2008, as did his modern, digital campaign strategies. So why didn’t those voters turn up in the same size force yesterday?

For instance, why didn’t the young people who supported California’s Proposition 19 to legalize marijuana show up to vote for it?

An article from the Washington Square News made the point that presidential elections are just more exciting. Students were quoted saying that presidential elections are big and glamorous, whereas there is no central figure in midterm elections to generate excitement. Students suggested that voting is very connected to the faces behind the names, saying that voting for President Obama was making history, but voting for “two grey haired senators” was not as sexy.

However, a study conducted by the Harvard University Institute of Politics (IOP) said that the youth energy glimpsed in the 2008 election is something definite. According to the study, since Sept. 11 there has been a, “political and civic re-awakening among this generation, which we call Millenials.” Michael Hurta, president of the University Democrats at University of Texas told Fox News that numbers at the polls at his University were still higher than in 2006.

Just because youth didn’t stampede the polls yesterday, doesn’t mean that the election issues aren’t relevant to the Millenials. The Harvard University IOP conducted a survey in the spring of 2010 which found, “Given the state of the economy, nearly half of college students today question their ability to stay in school. Almost half of all four-year undergraduates (45%) and nearly two-thirds of community college students (64%) are concerned about staying in college.”

The IOP also found in a poll that young Republicans showed more enthusiasm for participating in yesterday’s elections than young Democrats with, “41% of Republicans planning on voting, compared to 35% of Democrats and 13% of Independents.”

Is Same Sex Marriage Wrong?

sanfran — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:21:32 -0500

By: Karen Hu

Trying to legalize Gay marriage has been a continous war for quite a while now. Recently, California has overturned Prop 8 which means it will be on the ballet for people to vote. For those who want gay marriage to be legalized, this overturning on prop 8 is just one step closer to doing so.

Everyone has different opinions on gay marriage. There are a lot of people who do not agree to it, but a good portion of people do agree. I for one, agree to gay marriage. I don't see anything wrong with it and I think it's perfectly fine for a man and man or a woman and woman to get marry. The reason why people get married is because they love each other, so does it matter if it's the same sex or opposite sex? No, I believe it doesn't. As long as they love each other, that's enough and they should be allowed to marry.

16 year old Shawnanis McCune agrees to gay marriage as well. "I believe that love isn't just for male and female, People deserve to love who they want to. Just because you fall for someone who's the same sex as you, It doesn't mean that it's wrong." She believes that everyone deserves to marry whoever they're in love with. McCune also believes there isn't anything "wrong" it same sex marriages. "I think it's wrong, to be called wrong or bad for being who you are."

There are different reasons on why people think that gay marriage is wrong. "Religious reasons mostly. It's something they're not used to. They feel that it'll influence other people into thinking that it's okay, Like their children." said 20 year old Sharon Truong. She feels that marriage is marriage, "I feel the same way about it as straight marriage. It's just marriage."

We're all equal, aren't we? We should all be treated the same. We're all the same in the first place anyway. People act like homosexauls arent people but another species or something. They're still people who have feelings and have a heart. So think about it, Is it really that wrong for homosexuals to get married? Is it really that wrong for two people, of the same sex who love each other, to get marry?

Youth Voices on Lowering the Voting Age

wilmer — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:49:12 -0500

California teens offer their impressions of a state senator’s proposal to lower the voting age and offer fractional votes to 14-17 year olds.

(download mp3)

Are You a Confused First-Time Voter?

caitlin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 19:54:58 -0600

I just celebrated my eighteenth birthday last week. I'm looking forward to more than just being able to go clubbing, buy cigarettes, and try my luck at lotto tickets. I can't wait to vote. And although that this is something I have been anticipating since middle school, I'm starting to get some cold feet.

Not only am I confused about what party to register with or how to vote on key issues, but I'm also uncertain about how to even go about registering. So to try to clear things up and make the process easier, I've put together a list of top five questions to think about when you're voting for the first time.

1. Whose side am I on?
I'm not sure which party to register with. Should I go ideological or practical? I am a fierce environmentalist but even I am not sure if I want to register as Green Party. It seems a lot more realistic to register as a Democrat because it is part of the two party system and is usually for environmental legislation, as opposed to Republicans. I’ll probably end up going for the more pragmatic solution to this problem, but I find it sad that third parties will probably never have a chance in this country.

2. Is this my Grandmother's Ballot?
Studies show, including The American Political Science Review’s article “The Influence of Parents on the Political Attitudes of Adolescents” that parents’ political views have a severe impact on children, and are likely to carry over into the child’s own views.

When I discuss any kind of politics with my friends, I think twice about if the opinions they voice or their own or if they are just repeating what their parents said at the dinner table. I know few young Democrats with Republican parents, and vise versa. I hope that everything I think isn’t just a direct copy of what my parents told me to think. I’ll have to disassociate from their views and think about my own if I don't want to be a regurgitating copy-cat.

read the rest of list after the jump

3. What issues are important to you?
Voting is only one way to participate in politics. By thinking about what issues that you vote on are important to you, you can think about what issues you might want to take action on. I know that when I vote, I plan to vote for the measures that do not only benefit be, but benefit the most people in my community. I'm not just going to vote on what gives me the most tax breaks or only care about things that directly affect me.

4. Who can you trust?
With all of the pamphlets, billboards, commercials, websites, and people vying for our attention as voters, it’s a little hard to sort out the credible from the phony in the political world. Arguments on both sides of controversial issues such as healthcare or abortion are often convincing yet opposite. It’s important to pay attention to where the information that you are basing your vote on comes from. When a convincing commercial says it's paid for by Americans for Prosperity, maybe you have more reading-up to do on the issue.

5. Absentee or no absentee?
My parents vote with absentee ballots because they think it gives them more time and takes the pressure off. Absentee ballots you can fill out at home and send into the polls at your leisure, as long as you make the deadline. I plan on doing this in the future so I can make my decisions carefully, but I know that the first time I vote, I plan on going to the polls, just for the excitement. There's nothing like old ladies at school gyms and churches greeting you on a nice Tuesday afternoon!

Previously:

Barackonomics: Banking on the Obama Brand

wilmer — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:57:58 -0600

King Anyi spoke with Dr. Julianne Malveaux, President of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, NC about the exploitation of Barack Obama and his image, or as she puts it, "crass consumerism."

Unfulfilled Fantasies in the Voting Booth

nishat — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:43:05 -0600

So I just voted, and I must say, I'm a little disappointed. Not because I was disenfranchised (that I know of), but mostly because of the elaborate fantasy I'd built up in my head wasn't fulfilled.

I decided this summer to change my voter registration from California to New York, where I've been going to school the past three years. When I started hearing from my old state about the ballot measures that threaten gay marriage and reproductive rights, I felt more than a little guilty for the switch. I figured it was too late to change my registration back, until my Mom called me about two weeks ago to say my absentee ballot had just come in the mail. I called both the New York and California Election Boards and found out I was double registered. "Just remember to only vote once!" a woman cheerily told me in Oakland as she hung up the phone. Vote once I did, but not with much confidence in our system.

Here's how it was supposed to go: there's a long line outside the door of the polling place. I am, as usual, one of the only white people in my neighborhood, but I experience a great, I'm-such-a-progressive-bleeding-heart-liberal feeling as I make friends with two elderly black women in line. They tell me about living through segregation and the civil rights movement, and we bask in the historic-ness of it all. Before we go in to cast the most important ballot of our lives, we all hug. The oldest woman has tears in her eyes, grabs me by the shoulders and says she never thought she'd see the day when we could vote for a black man for president, and when the one white girl in the neighborhood would be wearing a button with his face.

As it turns out, there was no line, and it's illegal to wear a button to a polling place. While I was the only white girl in the room, my somewhat creepy attempts to make friends with the black elderly women monitoring the polls is politely brushed off.

I read a Rolling Stones article that said statistically, the poorer and blacker your neighborhood is, the older and crappier the voting machines. This certainly proved to be true as a poll worker showed me how to pull a squeaky lever and flick a series of what look like black light switches to cast your vote. The machine is so weird to someone used to things made in the last 20 years, that the poll worker checked in on me halfway through to see if I needed help. I'm pretty sure pulling back the curtain on someone is illegal, but I appreciated her help nonetheless.

It's funny to see your supposedly complicated and developed beliefs reduced to a series of 'X' s that run in a straight line down the Democratic side of the ticket. Had I done research on the eight judges I was voting for? No, this supposedly informed voter just voted for the eight Democrats down the ticket and then pulled the stiff lever back to its upright and locked position. Ah, democracy in action.

Still, even if my voting fantasy wasn't fulfilled and I have no new Grandmother figures inviting me to tea, I'm glad I got to flick those switches. The image of those' X's will stay with me a long time, even if only as a reminder to challenge my ideas and use my civil liberties everyday.

My Truth about Today's Voting

lissa — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:44:56 -0600

by Mark Anthony Waters

Today I voted for the first time. I’ve been waiting for this day since Bush got elected in 2000. And as soon as I heard a black man was running for President, I started imagining the chaotic scene at the voting booth.

I pictured extremely long lines filled with people from around my neighborhood and schools I’ve gone to, with all their friends and families acting up and talking loud about how a change is overdue.

I expected to see people turned away left and right for wearing shirts that broadcasted their political opinions, and fights in the line over who should win, Obama or McCain.

I thought I’d see a crowd of people with “No on Prop 8” signs knocking people with “Yes on Prop 8” signs. Pins and posters would fly in the air from the brawls in the streets!

Much to my surprise, when I walked into the Collins Elementary School to cast my first vote, the room was almost empty. I asked the person in charge, “Where’s everybody at?” She ignored my question and led me to a table with four other people, including one man who lives in my apartment complex. I was disappointed that there were almost no young voters except me. I started checking off the propositions that would potentially change my life—including one that basically states gay love isn’t worthy of recognition in a heterosexual world.

Honestly, I’m not even sure my vote will be counted in this election, based on what’s happened in the past, and because I question everything. But now that I’ve actually voted, I feel like at least I have a right to be angry if my candidate doesn’t win.

My Dad and Race in the Race

ellin — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:59:44 -0500

Brandon McFarland is a college student living in Oakland.

His dad Ronny McFarland does social work as a case manager for the city of San Francisco.

As a black man of 58, Ronny was part of the Civil Rights movement, hoping one day he’d see black homeowners in upscale neighborhoods in the San Francisco Bay Area. Now he’s waiting eagerly to see whether America will elect Barack Obama.

Starting out as somewhat skeptical, Brandon wanted to get his father's perspective on the Presidential election; he gathered up his Youth Radio production gear and they had this conversation.

Voting Present and Why its OK - By Calen Robertson

crobertson — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:46:43 -0500

By Calen Robertson
Austin, Tx
koop.org/index.php

Craig Ferguson was mad, pacing back and forth across his late night T.V. stage stopping occasionally to high five the camera as he ripped into the American people; youth in particular. To be fair, he had given his viewers fair warning at the beginning of his show. As a new American citizen voting for the first time in this election, Ferguson is baffled by what he perceives as rampant apathy among American voters
“Votin’ is not hip, it is not fashionable, it’s not a movie, all the kids ain’t doin’ it, but here’s a word, look it up, it is your duty to vote!”

I would like to think that I share Ferguson’s passion, if not his anger. So I am inclined to look at low voter turn out under a different lens from apathy. The bottom line is that we live in a complex, diverse society, and to think that this complexity and diversity can be boiled down into two party ideologies is a gross oversimplification. There is a large portion of society that simply does not feel represented.

This is not to say that I agree with the concept that not choosing to vote is a vote. By choosing not to vote, you are also choosing to sacrifice one of your strongest tools for having a voice in a democratic society. So if you can not bring yourself to vote for one of the major party candidates, what are your options?

The first one may seem obvious, but it still deserves mention. While there is no question that our current political system is dominated by the Democratic and Republican parties, third parties do exist. Even though we probably won’t see a third party candidate elected president for some time, giving them the support of your vote forces the major parties to consider third party issues in the hope of swaying some of that constituency.

But in the event that you really and truly feel that none of the candidates will accurately represent you, it is possible to cast a blank ballot. The reason that U.S. Senators are able to vote present is because sometimes issues cannot be addressed with a simple yes or no. By casting a blank ballot you are sending the message “I paid attention. I showed up to vote. I was not convinced.”

Traditionally, the youth vote has been ignored except for a few superficial events such as “Rock the Vote”. The youth vote tends to get ignored because we are the demographic with the lowest voter turn out. But here we have a classic self perpetuating problem. The youth don’t vote because candidates don’t represent us, and candidates don’t represent us because they can’t count on our vote. Nevertheless, I have remained optimistic.

And so far this election cycle it seems my optimism has been warranted. Already, early voter turn out is breaking records. This year’s candidates have managed to engage the American people, youth in particular, in a way that hasn’t happened before. It will be very interesting to see in 2012 how the candidates approach their campaigns, because it suddenly seems their audience is much broader than before.
However, if they fail to capture the nation’s attention, 2008 may be cemented in history as a fluke.

It is my sincerest hope that it is not. It is my sincerest hope that on Nov. 4th you will show up to cast your ballot (if you haven't already). Because when it comes down to it, we can’t wait for the politicians to make the first move. Whether you are registering your support for a candidate or simply voting present, you will have given our politicians something to listen to. We can’t be heard if we choose not to speak.