February 2, 2004

Jennifer Adeyemi, 17, is busy. She has tests to take so she can soon graduate from the International Studies High School in San Francisco. She serves as a member of her community's student and teen advisory councils.

And she's set on being a politician when she's old enough.

"One day, I will be the first woman president when the bill goes through that says [non-native-born citizens] can be president," she says. "I plan to be a Congresswoman and a Senator. I will settle for nothing less."

Mike LaPointe, 16, an 11th grader from Port Hope, Ontario is the founder and editor of a music Web site for teens called Fuzed Magazine. He contributes original stories to Wiretap on-line publications (for "youth in pursuit of the dirty truth").

And he keeps a close eye on American politics from across the Canadian border.

"I think it's important and something that teens shouldn't ignore because they consider it uncool, or because they think it's outdated or archaic to be involved in politics," says LaPointe. "It's important to show interest because otherwise, we're just gonna get duped."

Darla Walters Gary, a 17-year-old senior at Far West High School in Oakland, CA volunteers with Food Not Bombs, a grassroots political group that feeds the hungry.

"I do believe that to be truly intellectual and truly mature you have to care about the future, and being outspoken politically is essential to caring about the future," says Gary.

Why is it, wonder voter advocates, that some teens approach voting age eager to take part in the democratic process—but so many more do not?

Celebrating Anomalies
Rashad Robinson, National Field Director of the Center for Voting and Democracy, says that politically-inspired kids like Adeyemi, LaPointe and Gary are very much the exception, not the rule.

"The media often likes to make the numbers of kids getting involved seem a lot grander than they actually are," says Robinson. "They are feel-good stories, but they're not the real story."

Here's what history tells us: In 1984, when Jesse Jackson ran for President in the Democratic primary, news reports suggested Jackson's candidacy would draw young African Americans into the political process. When Ralph Nader ran as the Green Party candidate in 2000, similar stories—this time about environmentally-conscious young voters—appeared.

In each instance, it seemed like youth participation was reaching new heights. But voter turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds actually decreased.

In the 2004 election cycle, many news organizations have been focused on the grassroots Internet networking among youth in the Democratic primaries.

Patricia Montemurri, a reporter with the Detroit Free Press has been keeping up with the increasing numbers of teens that work for both the Howard Dean and John Kerry campaigns. "It's fun to see the excitement and be a part of it when I'm writing about it through the kids' eyes," says Montemurri. "And these kids are trying to get their buddies and siblings to see things their way."

"We've seen this before," cautions Robinson. "But we still see dismal voter turnout rates among young people."

Numbers Don't Lie
Approximately thirty million young eligible voters had no say in the Al Gore versus George W. Bush race, an election that turned out to be a defining moment in political history.

Voter turnout—a key indicator of political engagement—among most age groups in American elections has plunged in recent years, but the drop has been particularly dramatic among the young.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 45.4 percent of 18 to 24 year-olds were registered to vote in 2000, while 54.6 percent were not.

Between 1972 and 2000, the youth voter turnout rate declined by 13 percentage points among 18 to 24 year-old voters in Presidential election years. And in 2000, only 42 percent of 18 to 24 year-olds voted, compared to 70 percent of citizens 25 and older.

Misses and Mistakes
Robinson believes that part of the problem is simple: politicians don't court young people. "Unless a kid comes from a swing state, do you really think politicians care about their concerns?" Robinson asks. "Maybe if you're a kid from Michigan, you have reason to get excited. But, otherwise, nope."

Party On? Young Democrats of America [1] College Republican National Committee [2]

Still, the major political parties are making an effort to get young people to participate. Both the Young Democrats of America and the College Republican National Committee have stepped up their recruitment efforts and are holding more events this year than in the past. They also both encourage young people to attend political events and register to vote on their Web sites.

For some teens, though, partisanship is part of the problem.

"The left wing and the right wing are really becoming polarized right now," says LaPointe. "Lots of adults are either watching Fox News or renting Bowling for Columbine. As a kid, it's hard to identify with either of those two'because if you don't know enough about the issues—then all you're going to know is either, 'hmm, everything's great in Iraq' or 'the world is going to hell in a hand basket.'"

One study, funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, found that non-partisan voter mobilization efforts were quite effective in turning out young voters for the 2000 presidential election.

In the days leading up to that election, volunteers from Youth Vote 2000 phoned thousands of young people and encouraged them to vote. They did not recommend specific support for Democrats, Republicans, Greens or otherwise.

Those who received the call were eight percentage points more likely to vote than other young people.

Veronica De La Garza, executive director of the non-partisan Youth Vote Coalition, notes that numerous studies have shown that partisan phone calls have little or no effect on voter turnout.

In light of such findings, non-partisan groups like Youth Vote Coalition, the U.S. Student Association, the New Voter Project and the Center for Environmental Partnership have begun to dial up the youth vote.

"Our organization did this in 2002 and found it to be very effective," says De La Garza. "We will do it again in 2004."

Volunteers, not Voters
Young people may not vote, but that doesn't mean they are standing on the sidelines in their communities. In fact, a larger percentage of teens are volunteering and participating locally than folks from older generations.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that from September 2001 to September 2002, volunteer rates were lowest among persons age 65 years and over at 22.7 percent. Teenagers had the relatively high volunteer rate of 26.9 percent.

"There are many requirements built into high school and college that encourage kids to get involved in programs outside of school," says Robinson. "Social engagement does not translate into political engagement, but it shows that kids are willing to get involved in something bigger than themselves—especially if there's an incentive."

The Campaign for Young Voters believes that politicians who identify and address the issues young voters care about can provide that incentive. The campaign, a non-partisan, non-profit effort also funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, offers advice to candidates on what issues matter to teens—the cost of higher education and the need for good-paying jobs, for instance—and how to engage potential young voters.

If more candidates do, in fact, start going after young voters, it could help break what Robinson labels a "vicious cycle:" "Young people do not vote because politicians don't court young people and politicians do not court young people because they don't vote."

Growing Up Lessons
Politically engaged teens like Adeyemi, LaPointe and Gary are products of the same society that has left most of their peers disconnected from the political process.

So what makes them different?

"For me, it was simply the community that I was raised in," responds Gary. "I was never told to shut my mouth if I had something important to say—I was always taught through words and actions of those around me, that speaking out was an integral part of life—that if I let others decide my future then I would be stuck with their dreams and their concerns, and that is not what I wanted." Some of her earliest memories are of attending protests and demonstrations.

"I connect my own interests in politics with the fact that both my parents are journalists," explains LaPointe. (His dad is an editor with the Vancouver Sun and his mom now works outside the field.) "I don't know if I would have known much about politics if it weren't for that reason. I think that it's essential that parents do show an interest in politics."

Adeyemi says that she's engaged because she's tired of "old people" having control. Her philosophy is that kids need to have it sink in that they need to be more involved. "Stop having adults dictate things," she tells young people. "[Kids] only get what they want if kids vote for what they want."

"Whether it's parents, or society, or whatever else, it's obvious we all have a lot more to do," says Robinson. "We have to have a system that shows kids they matter."

Resources:

• The Youth Vote Coalition [3]
• The Campaign for Young Voters [4]
• The Center for Voting and Democracy [5]
• Kids and Politics, a Project by Connect for Kids [6]
  

Rob Capriccioso is a staff writer for Connect for Kids.