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Youth vote courted for upcoming November election
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| Student vote: Student Chris Wise, right, discusses the youth vote while Alex Nelson listens. (Adam Bernal/photo.) |
Adam Bernal/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
With the youth vote poised to make a larger impact on this year's elections than ever before, the Arizona Student Vote Coalition was on hand to promote the importance of getting youth involved in the voting process.
Alex Nelson, a representative from the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, discussed the importance of youth voting at Cochise College Benson Center last week. Legislative District 25 Representatives Manny Alvarez and Jennifer Burns were also present to emphasize the changes needed to get youth involved in political issues.
Nelson said his group is working to get young people involved in the election process and get them ready for the upcoming elections in November. Being able to connect with the nation's youth helps them feel like they're directly involved in important issues that affect everyone, he said.
"When we get young people involved in elections, it makes them feel like they're more part of the community at large," Nelson said. "We know reaching out to young people works."
Youth voting has been on the decline since 1972 and only started rising again in 2004, Nelson explained, which is why youth have become such a major focus during this election year. In Arizona alone there was a 17 percent increase in the numberof young people who turned out to vote, he said.
Youth voting has been down for more than two decades because students don't feel their vote matters, they don't register in time and they are not informed on the issues, Nelson said.
Nelson said work is being done with the Arizona Students Association and other groups state wide to make contact with youth voters and teach them more about issues they are concerned about, including the accessibility of higher education, the health care system and the environment.
Since youth are projected to make up nearly a quarter of this year's electorate, Nelson said reaching out to youth directly is one of the most reliable methods to get the message out to voters in this age group.
After learning more about politics and what the important issues are, Cochise College student Chris Wise said it has become more important than ever for youth to speak up about the changes they want to see in their government.
"I believe young people should have a say in what's happening tomorrow," Wise said.
Alvarez has been emphasizing the importance of the youth vote, saying it's more important than ever since they will be the ones to change politics in the near future. He said the new generation of voters requires a different approach, and the politics that will be used 10 years from now will be much different than what people are seeing today.
Burns said it was important for youth to have a voice and being able to vote gives them the opportunity to be heard. In addition, if there are only certain groups of people voting, politicians can't get a full idea of whom they're representing, she said.
Nelson said his group plans to register around 10,000 voters and make at least 20,000 peer-to-peer contacts this year, which he expects will make a significant difference in the upcoming general election.
"It's going to make a big impact," Nelson said, discussing the anticipated youth turnout in this year's elections. "There's no way around that."
With the youth vote poised to make a larger impact on this year's elections than ever before, the Arizona Student Vote Coalition was on hand to promote the importance of getting youth involved in the voting process.
Alex Nelson, a representative from the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, discussed the importance of youth voting at Cochise College Benson Center last week. Legislative District 25 Representatives Manny Alvarez and Jennifer Burns were also present to emphasize the changes needed to get youth involved in political issues.
Nelson said his group is working to get young people involved in the election process and get them ready for the upcoming elections in November. Being able to connect with the nation's youth helps them feel like they're directly involved in important issues that affect everyone, he said.
"When we get young people involved in elections, it makes them feel like they're more part of the community at large," Nelson said. "We know reaching out to young people works."
Youth voting has been on the decline since 1972 and only started rising again in 2004, Nelson explained, which is why youth have become such a major focus during this election year. In Arizona alone there was a 17 percent increase in the numberof young people who turned out to vote, he said.
Youth voting has been down for more than two decades because students don't feel their vote matters, they don't register in time and they are not informed on the issues, Nelson said.
Nelson said work is being done with the Arizona Students Association and other groups state wide to make contact with youth voters and teach them more about issues they are concerned about, including the accessibility of higher education, the health care system and the environment.
Since youth are projected to make up nearly a quarter of this year's electorate, Nelson said reaching out to youth directly is one of the most reliable methods to get the message out to voters in this age group.
After learning more about politics and what the important issues are, Cochise College student Chris Wise said it has become more important than ever for youth to speak up about the changes they want to see in their government.
"I believe young people should have a say in what's happening tomorrow," Wise said.
Alvarez has been emphasizing the importance of the youth vote, saying it's more important than ever since they will be the ones to change politics in the near future. He said the new generation of voters requires a different approach, and the politics that will be used 10 years from now will be much different than what people are seeing today.
Burns said it was important for youth to have a voice and being able to vote gives them the opportunity to be heard. In addition, if there are only certain groups of people voting, politicians can't get a full idea of whom they're representing, she said.
Nelson said his group plans to register around 10,000 voters and make at least 20,000 peer-to-peer contacts this year, which he expects will make a significant difference in the upcoming general election.
"It's going to make a big impact," Nelson said, discussing the anticipated youth turnout in this year's elections. "There's no way around that."
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