collected writings

Say No to Voting

As the presidential campaign races on towards its November destination, the average registered voter is reminded constantly that now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their party, be it Republican or Democrat. Any third party candidate is negated, just as air resistance is negated in so many a physics class.

As a registered voter myself, I feel the pressure as the two main candidates vie for my vote. But wait... Are any of the candidates out there really interested in my choice?

This is the first presidential election that myself and many other members of the so-called Generation Y will vote in, but I do not get the feeling that any of the mainstream presidential candidates really want me to vote for them.

No one has said, "Young man, vote for the Republicans because I would appreciate your vote -- and statistics show that if you vote Republican once, you are more likely to vote Republican again."

In 1996, there were 30 million people between the ages of 18-30 that did not vote. Less than one third of the 18-30 age group voted in the 1996 presidential election. Less than one fifth voted in 1998. Those 30 million people that did not show up on Election Day represent fully 25 percent of all possible voters, but no candidate has spent even one tenth of their campaign budget courting our vote. Upset yet?

Our generation is bigger and, more importantly, wealthier than any previous voting generation. Nevertheless, the average candidate is going to be far more interested in our money ten or twenty years from now than they are today. So why should we, as we grow older, be interested in donating money to political parties; money that currently is not good enough for anyone to court.

The largest problem facing our generation as we try to gain national political representation is that we are guaranteed to grow out of our age demographic.

Unlike the poor, those racially discriminated against, or any other voting minority, there is a very clear sense that when we turn 30, we will suddenly become much more important politically, and our thoughts and actions up till that moment were simply not important.

Try telling someone on welfare that they should wait until they become wealthy before trying to vote on issues that will affect them financially.

Should I get upset about this age discrimination? Or should I remember that no matter how good of driver I might have considered myself when I was 15, once I turned 16 I did not feel any need to lower the driving age.

As a voter interested in my future, what am I to do? Should I simply vote for either the Democratic or Republican presidential candidate, grateful that my country has provided me with the right, duty, and responsibility to vote? After all, for all intents and purposes, these are my only two realistic political choices.

Wrong.

There is a third option. When faced with unpleasing choices, when no candidate has expressed interest in our vote, we can refuse to vote. If done so correctly this can make a powerful political statement.

I'm not talking about apathy and I'm not talking about being just plain lazy. I'm suggesting an informed, conscious decision to not participate in the election process because you do not feel that any of the candidates represent you well enough to warrant your vote.

To make this statement a viable and powerful one, you must partner your decision to not vote with a letter to your congressmen: local, state, and national, explaining your age, background, and the reason why you did not vote. Send a copy of your letter to the editors of a nation-wide newspaper and to the Federal Election Commission.

The more people you inform about your decision the better, but you must tell people who are concerned about voter turnout, and people who have a degree of political power. In doing so, you will not be just another statistic, one of millions of young people who did not vote because they were too lazy and could care less.

You will have taken the third choice, a powerful political statement.