No Vote, No Voice

Whatever your reasons for not voting this election are, they are insufficient. It is possible that after three debates and a long campaign, you still do not like a candidate enough to eagerly cast your ballot. However, whether or not you like your choices, you do in fact have a decision. On November 2nd, George W. Bush or John Kerry will be elected President of the United States. Not voting won’t change that. You, a young person, have a stake in this decision and your vote matters. You also have a multitude of resources for learning about the issues. In short, whatever your excuse, it isn’t good enough: You might as well make up your mind and vote.

The results of this election will affect you, in the short- and long-term. Policies pertaining to the economy, health care, foreign affairs, social issues and education will have an immediate impact on you as a young person. Debt for college students is increasing as tuition rises and financial aid lags behind. Young people are more likely than the general population to be jobless and 30 percent of young people lack health insurance, the highest percentage of any age group. Furthermore, when it comes to war and national security, 70 percent of enlisted personnel are 30 years old or younger, testifying to the very direct stake young people hold in our foreign policy.

Your vote is needed to mandate forward-thinking politicians. You have a much higher stake in the long term effects of current policies than the middle-aged or older voters who dominate the polls. As a result of your future interest in, for example, the environment and social security, you may think very differently about the proper responses to these issues. However, accountability for the long-term may be evaded unless young people choose to vote.

What’s more, elections can shape the values and options available within society as a whole. Questions of fairness and justice, the role of government and the choices available to citizens often play out through political processes. To take the judiciary as a case in point, by 2008 seven of the nine justices will be over 70, making it very likely that whoever is president over the next four years will be appointing justices to the Supreme Court, not to mention continuing to appoint justices to the federal appellate and district courts. Thus, you also have a moral stake in this election.

However, politicians will not respond to you unless you vote. According to Harvard Institute of Politics research done last year, students believe overwhelmingly (over 70 percent) that politics is relevant to their lives. Yet they still have historically low turnout. In the 2000 election, around 42 percent of people age 18 to 24 voted compared to 70 percent of people age 25 and up. The demographics of voter registration and turnout are closely studied by political strategists when determining who to target. If young people are not registered or do not have reliable turnout, politicians will not be compelled to appeal to youth interests and young people will be further disengaged from our democracy.

As a young person, your vote holds politicians accountable for the effects of their policies on young people. Simply by voting, you are increasing the number of young voters and sending a message to policy makers. Your vote also sets an example for your peers, whether you talk about it with your friends or sign a pledge card in your house. Your one vote might feel like a drop in the bucket, but when combined with the votes of other young people, it forces politicians to pay attention to what you are saying.

Furthermore, our government becomes what we make it: We supply and choose the people at the helm and we choose whether or not to work toward our conception of the public good. There may be flaws in our system and our candidates, but disengaging will not change that. Politicians will be more likely to change if their constituents demand it of them. Regardless of whether or not you exercise your right to vote, elections will continue to happen, and the results will continue to matter. In this presidential election, someone will win and our country will be a different place depending on the outcome.

If you do not feel informed, take some time to check out the myriad of resources available in this election. You can check out the responses from the Bush, Kerry, Nader and Badnarik campaigns to a voter issues paper for 18-to-30-year-olds at www.smackdownyourvote.com. Pay attention to candidates’ platforms, records and statements. Follow up with fact-checking resources on the network websites or the oft-neutral www.factcheck.org. If you have voting questions, check out H-VOTE, a house competition at Harvard intended to turn youth voter registration into youth voter turnout. To locate your polling place or find contact information for Cambridge, go to http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/~Election/. If you have last-minute questions about your absentee ballot, go to www.iop.harvard.edu, click on absentee voting information, click on your state and follow the links to your county’s election contact information.

The bottom line is that your vote is important. Mail your absentee ballot immediately or locate your polling place in Cambridge. Figure out what you think. And finally, cast your vote.

Naomi M. Ages ’05 is a history and literature concentrator in Kirkland House. Lauren S. Kuley ’06 is social studies concentrator in Pforzheimer. Leslie V. Pope ’06 is a philosophy concentrator in Currier. They are coordinators of H-Vote for the Institute of Politics.