Voter turnout among youth remains low
Many young people were seemingly absent at the polls for the Congressional Elections Tuesday, extending the theme of teenagers and college students showing disinterest in politics.
Although the exact figures have not been released, Republican candidate Anna Little's Campaign Chair Leigh-Ann Bellew said voter turnout in certain towns was as strong as they expected.
"But it's a little less in [some] places. In New Brunswick, there were some wards that had really heavy turnout," she said. "But there was one of 15 [potential] voters at 3 o'clock [Tuesday] afternoon."
Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics Ruth Mandel repeated the fact that the voter turnout figures are not in reach at this point but added that Bellew is not far off with her observation.
"If her campaign is talking about students, my guess is that ultimately the voter turnout figures will show that young people were a very small part of the voting public in this election," she said.
It is difficult to bring young people to the polls, Mandel said. The obstacle is catalyzed further if it is an off-year election.
"The impression we have and from what I've seen from early news coverage, [the people] who turned out were Independents, older, white and male," she said. "That's what the expectation was."
The reason many college students do not visit the polls on the Election Day is the myth that their vote will not count because it is an old tradition, which is completely unfounded, Mandel said.
"There are so many close elections in recent years that serve as examples of how important an individual vote is and how few votes can make a difference to the way an election turns out," she said. "People can realize that their vote can make a difference in the outcome."
Mandel added that the notion of young people thinking their vote is meaningless is wrong, explaining their vote is just as important as a middle-aged adult or senior citizen.
"All eligible voters should care because voting is an opportunity to express a preference for candidates, policies [and] parties. We have a representative democracy," she said. "Government depends on the participation of the citizenry, and voting is the fundamental act of participating in the electoral system."
By participating in voting for an elected official, a young person is also giving respect to those who lost their life or the ability for United States citizens to vote, Mandel said.
"Historically, people have fought for the right to have a say and having a say includes voting," she said. "That is electing the political leaders who will represent them in government, decision-making and policy development."
President of the Rutgers College Republicans Noah Glyn agreed with Mandel saying many young people in the past died for our right to vote, and college students should show respect by participating.
"When you look back at World War II, you might see those pictures in black and white. But those people were our age," said Glyn, a School of Arts and Sciences junior. "If young people are good enough to die in a war, they are also good enough to vote in an election."
President of the Rutgers Democrats Chris Pflaum extended this notion by saying if college students cannot respect those who died in past wars, they should remember we are currently at war.
"We have to remember that people are literally dying every day so we still have the right to vote," said Pflaum, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. "So even if you feel that there is nothing to vote for … it's for their sake and not for your own to vote."
Mandel said another reason young college students should vote is because the elected official in office is the one who makes the decisions, potentially helping or hurting students' everyday life.
"Government makes decisions about how their money is spent, whether or not there is a public student loan program, whether or not the air they breathe is regulated and monitored," she said.
Pflaum used tuition hikes to exemplify decisions by an elected official directly affecting college students.
"There were some candidates who ran for Congress that wanted to abolish the government education agencies," he said. "So they have a direct impact on our lives, and I think that's the most important thing."
Mandel said this matter is hard to convey to younger generations because although tuition hikes have a direct effect, many decisions by elected officials might not.
"When people get older, they're more directly involved in paying taxes," she said. "They are looking at paychecks with taxes taken out, or they are dependent on certain programs the government supports."
But Glyn said if younger college students do not realize this, they must know they will not be young forever.
"As much as we might think that, we are going to get out of school, we're going to have to find a job, we're going to have to pay taxes and send our kids to school," he said. "We are going to be facing the same problems our parents are."
Mandel said the only solution to increase the amount of young voters on Election Day is through education on how politics work.
"Our education system and our parents should be teaching children from a very young age that they are part of a community … and Democratic society in which the government is elected to represent the interests of the voters," she said. "Those interests have to do with every part of their lives."
