Fanning the Flames of Youth Civic Engagement

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Fanning the Flames of Youth Civic Engagement

By Courtney E. Martin, The Women's Media Center. Posted June 9, 2008.

Progressives need to make sure that young people's excitement over the primaries turns into long-term civic engagement.


"I am so, so, so excited," my wildly effective 18-year-old intern Krystie Yandoli told me, sitting on my couch and leafing through a new anthology in between bites of chocolate croissant. "At first I didn't know -- should I wait until I get to Syracuse and do it there or should I do it in Connecticut where I'm from? I seriously can't wait." Krystie, headed to the Syracuse University in the fall to study politics and journalism, is not talking about getting a tattoo or buying an iPhone. She's feverishly anticipating her first chance to vote in a presidential election.

As we finish the final contests of the primaries, young people are excited about politics. According to PBS News Hour, 5.7 million people under the age of 30 voted in the primaries, a 109 percent increase from last presidential election. And before you write this enthusiasm off as merely a passing fad of Obama mania (he got 57 percent of the youth vote in Iowa, for example), look at recent history: In 2004, youth turnout in the general election rose by 4.3 million votes over the 2000 level, and hit the highest level in over a decade.

To be sure, many young people were profoundly disappointed by Bush's re-election (and for good reason, I might add), and a seed of serious cynicism has been planted by voting snafus so rampant in the last two elections (think Ohio and Florida). Some young people -- especially those without college educations or suburban upbringings -- are skeptical about whether their vote will really count. But this population has been especially moved by Obama's biography and "yes we can" spirit; the star of hip hopper will.i.am's wildly popular YouTube video has done especially well among young people of color and first-time voters.

The challenge ahead is to keep the excitement over the primaries alive until November, but what's more, make sure that civic engagement becomes an organic part of young people's frenetic lives from here on out. There are a few key ways that we can ensure this happens.

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http://www.alternet.org/story/87026/