The Issue

Most children and teenagers don’t care about politics or their right to vote, according to a survey we carried out with the government.

More than 400 of you voted in the poll on CBBC Newsround Online, to mark the fact that Citizenship’s now part of your national curriculum.

And the results were quite surprising.

·     Only 22% of you wanted to learn about voting!

·     Just 28% cared about local and national government.

·     And only 27% of you said you would care if the right to vote was taken away.

—-BBC News. Newsround

On an average election year, less than 55% of the eligible public goes to the polls; 138 million Americans don’t cast a vote.

Mark Morford, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, diagnosed the problem more specifically, writing of the American public ‘… politics and news media is like some sort of impossibly dense morass, alien and strange and vaguely threatening… best ignored in hopes that it will… go away… It’s our unofficial motto… We Don’t Have to Care.’

Although this is undoubtedly disconcerting, students tend to be impervious to any associated guilt. We tell ourselves that without the ability to vote we have no obligation to the democratic process. We are wrong. In fact, this mentality will destroy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness if not confronted immediately by our culture. Much more worrying than the un-voting adults right now are the millions of graduating students who are politically passive and socially unaware.

There are many ways to be involved in the democratic system but unless we all contribute, that system will soon collapse. By accepting an apathetic role in our political arena, one is dishonoring the millions of men and women who died to uphold democracy and insulting the billions still in social and political bondage today. Bahram Maskanian, a writer for the Venus Project, an educational think tank that claims it seeks to ‘redesign our culture’ explains in one of her essays ‘The ruling opposing forces to human rights and liberty are hard at work to prevent true democracy from ever taking root… democracy requires the entire population’s constant participation.’

But how can we become involved? What can we do to perpetuate the paradigm of democracy without voting? Make no mistake, political activity is not a right in America today; it is a seriously undervalued responsibility.

Educating ourselves about current events is the most important step we can take to increase the successful function of our democracy. We must take it on as a habitual part of our daily life, like brushing our teeth or knotting our tie in the morning. Understanding current events enables us to form healthy opinions, experiment with different world perspectives, and ultimately leads to the social empowerment that changes policy and makes a difference in the world. Tracy Marks, a blogger who is affiliated with Tikkun Magazine, affirms this phenomenon and writes in an article concerning political apathy ‘A first step for many of us may be (to) educate ourselves politically, and feel empowered to express ourselves.’ Furthermore, if we do not educate ourselves on current events we become vulnerable and helpless. Without a comprehensive understanding of our leader’s ideas and actions, the decision makers of our world have no accountability with their followers; us. Gary Allen, executive editor of Enrichment Journal and national coordinator of the Ministerial Enrichment Office, writes concerning the leader-follower relationship, ‘It is wrong to assume that leaders are only accountable to their leaders. They are also accountable to those to whom they… serve…. Each age, cultural, ethnic, and social segment… has something to contribute.’ That includes us.

As we become more educated, our identity becomes more defined. We learn to teach ourselves what is important and what is worth sacrificing. This process continues for the rest of our lives. There are many ways to deepen our identities through political affiliations. These affiliations will provide grounding association with other like-minded people and will also give you more concrete ways to become invested in the future of our country.

Many people shy away from defining their political identity because they do not want to be a part of the Democrats or Republicans. There are hundreds of reasons for not liking the main parties. For example Malik Miah, a member of the fringe Solidarity Movement writes ‘I cannot vote for a Democrat or Republican candidate, as each party represents the policies of the ruling class.’ America seems to have an unfortunately limited two party system, but actually there are hundreds of different political parties, like the Solidarity Movement, that all play a crucial role in our democracy. Do not limit yourself to the Democrats or the Republicans; investigate third parties. A blogger named Dan on marco.org writes ‘Al Gore would have won the general election in 2000 if had had received 1% of the votes that Nader received. He would also have won the election if he had received votes from 0.05% of the people who didn’t bother to vote…. When somebody votes for a third party, the mainstream parties think, “Uh-oh. Somebody cares enough to vote but voted against us?… If you can rally 1% or 2% in crucial areas, you have a real chance of forcing the mainstream parties to court your vote in the next election…. ‘

Taking action is easier that it sounds. Becoming a participant in some sort of politically involved organization or grass roots social movement or maybe campaigning for a candidate are all great options. Even helping adults register to vote is incredibly important. But if joining the Green party or skipping school to punch your parents in at the polls isn’t your cup of tea, the best and most crucial thing that you can do?

Discuss the issues.

Thom Singer, a blogger from Austin Texas, writes ‘… most people we encounter are in the middle and… care about seeing changes… One cannot turn on the TV, computer, or pick up a newspaper… without being touched by the world of politics, thus it will be discussed… you need to be ready to discuss politics.’ The discussion of critical issues directly affects the outcome of every election. Even though you may not be able to vote, the people you are talking to might be. If you influence their views on any given issue then you are making a difference.

—Nathan Peereboom