While California senators debate an amendment proposal to count votes cast by 16- and 17-year-olds as half a vote, the teens’ determined efforts reflect the increasing importance of young people as a voting constituency. Indeed, after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently announced that he hopes to reduce education spending by $2 billion, in part by raising community college fees by 44 percent, high-school and college students all over Berkeley have become more aware of how politicians can affect their lives directly. And if more people under 30 voted, presidential candidates Kerry and Bush would probably be forced to work harder to address the needs of this segment of the population.
Now more than ever, Berkeley students understand the importance of being able to express their voice on both statewide and national budget and political issues. As local school districts have begun closing a handful of public schools because of large funding cuts, young people are witnessing firsthand how political agendas can directly affect lives. Here at Berkeley, students value their right to vote and are eager to cast their ballots for measures and politicians that support their values and are attentive to their concerns.
After a close gubernatorial recall election that included controversial state ballot measures, students see how their numbers can affect the outcome of important elections. On campus, numerous outreach and special-interest student groups organized a campaign against Proposition 54, a ballot measure that would have ended the collection of racial data from all of California’s public institutions. Holding numerous campus demonstrations and teach-ins, the campaigners informed other young adults about the issues. They helped classmates register and convinced students to vote in the recall election. With the defeat of Proposition 54, the organizers saw tangible results of their education campaigns, and young voters saw it was possible to get heard.
In this year’s presidential election, the under-30 population can have as much of an impact on the national election as we California students had on our recent elections. According to 2000 census numbers, only 32 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds voted in the last presidential race. If young people were historically a more active voting constituency, Kerry and Bush would be spending more time explaining what they plan to do with education spending, an issue that is more important to young people than the older segment of the population–the one that votes. The candidates would also be spending more time actively campaigning to young people, interacting with them on their turf, thereby gaining more exposure to their lives and concerns.
Sure, young voters should do their own homework, too. They should spend more time learning about how health care, national security and the economy may affect their own lives. For example, here at University of California, Berkeley, students take themselves seriously as full-fledged members of the national polity and understand the significance of exercising their right to vote. Two years ago, Berkeley students won a statewide Rock the Vote competition for registering more than 700 students to vote. Many recognize that their predecessors protested and marched to be heard. Now, when asked why they vote, many Berkeley students answer, “If I don’t vote, then who will?”
