1. ‘Is it Cool Yet?’The Youth and Voter Registration
Voterregistrationis anessential aspectof the political process.Havingmore registeredvoters
benefitsthe politicsystem because itgives everyday people astrongervoice indecidingon issuesthat
directlyaffectthem. Whetheryouare a democrat,republican,independent,or belongtoanyother
political affiliation, havingmore registeredvotersissomethingthat we all shouldstrive for. Historically,
one group standsoutas havingthe worst voterturnout;youngpeople.The questionthenarises, why
doesitalwaysseemlike youngerAmericansare notvoting?Whyhasregistrationamongyoungpeople
historicallybeensolow?
The effortto getyoungpeople tovote isnothingnew.However,numbersforyouthturnout
have beenconsistentlylowtothe pointthatithas promptedRockthe Vote andotherorganizationsto
worktoward changingthat.The U.S.censusreportedthatin 2008 that only48.5 percentof youth(ages
18 to 24) were registered tovote.While the nextfouryearsshowedanimpressive 10percentincrease
inyouthregistration,the 18 to 24 year oldage group maintainsthe lowestnumbers. Of course these
numbersdonot tell the whole story,butthe question they presentiswhy the youngpeople todayare
not registering.Inthe pastelections,manyhave citedalackof youthtargeting.Most political candidates
put outad campaigns primarily aimedatage groups45 years andup. Statistical studiesshow thatthe
reasonthese campaigns decide nottotargetyoungpeople isbecause manysee the youthasnothaving
as much votingpowerasolderage groups.But as it stands, the youthpopulation isanuntapped and
unseenvotingpool potential thatif harnessedcouldprove tobe a majorfactor within the midterm
elections aswell asfuture races.
In additionto the usual Federal PSA’sandpolitical endorsementsforvoterregistration,
celebritieshave alsoenteredthe politicalstage forencouragingpeople tovote,specifically targetingthe
youth.“Kardashian”star Kendall JennerhasteamedupwithRockthe Vote tohelppromote voter
registration forthe Novembermidterms, herpurpose being “soourgeneration’svoice canbe heardthis
fall,”Politicorecentlyreported.CareerrapperLil Jonusedhiscelebritystatustoencourage young
people toregisterbymakingaparodyof hisnow famous party track “Turn Down ForWhat” into “Turn
Out For What.”The viral videofeaturesvarious celebrities,eachgivingtheirspecificreasonforturning
out to vote.The hope fromall thisby Rock the Vote andthe variouspersonalitiesinvolvedistobring
awarenesstoyoungpeople aboutvotingand itsimportance withintheirlives.
Regardlessof whatthe censuswill tell usaboutthisyear’syouthvoterregistrationstatistics,
more needstobe done inorderto get youngpeople tovote. While Rockthe Vote didstepuptheir
game withvariouscelebrityendorsements,targetingyoungpotential voters mustbe made into a top
priority.Insteadof comingfromoutside organizations,perhapsPoliticianswillsee the potential in
tappingthe youthvotingpool andwill thencatermore to that audience.One thingisforcertainthough,
more effortneedstobe contributed fromall sidestogetthe youngpeople intothe votingbooth sothat
theirgeneration’svoice maybe heard.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/kendall-jenner-rock-the-vote-111252.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/07/rock-the-vote-election-_n_5946204.html
http://www.statisticbrain.com/voting-statistics/