But in 2010, our energy seems to have fizzled. Now the pundits are claiming that 2008 was a fluke year and that young voters will fail to materialize without the galvanizing force of Obama’s charisma. So far, we seem to be proving them right. With less than three weeks left to the midterm election, young voters make up a mere 8 percent of likely voters, according to the results of a Gallup poll released last week. This is down from 18 percent of actual voters in 2008.
It’s easy to get swept up in the Orange Bubble and forget the outside world, especially since midterm exams are just before the election. In the cocoon of Princeton, the impacts of elections seem negligible. But decisions made by Congress on topics ranging from the economy to health care to climate change will affect us for years to come. And with state and local budgets being decimated, governors have become increasingly powerful, with funding for services such as public education hanging in the balance.
The issues are complex, and reasonable people disagree on the best way to address them, but there can be little doubt that the decisions facing both the federal and state governments will have large impacts on us. Do you want the best chance to obtain a secure job or funding for graduate school when you walk out of FitzRandolph Gate? Will your children grow up in a country that upholds the values that matter to you and offers them the opportunities you’ve had? Will your parents have the health care and retirement income they need? Will you? These are key issues being addressed by our elected officials in these difficult economic times. Furthermore, elections this year will affect how these issues are addressed in the future, as states draw up new congressional district boundaries after the 2010 census.
It’s easy to dismiss voting as an inconsequential action. How much does one vote really count? This seems especially true in a year when it appears obvious that the Republicans are poised to take back the House of Representatives. According to a Gallup poll earlier this month, Republican congressional candidates hold an 18 percentage point lead over their Democratic opponents among likely voters, assuming a 40 percent turnout, which is typical for midterm elections.
But the key word is “likely.” An equal number of registered voters favor their Democratic and Republican congressional candidates, but not everyone who is registered will actually vote. When dividing registered voters into age groups, it becomes clear that young and older voters are the key constituencies. While voters between the ages of 30 and 64 show no preference on the whole for either party, 18- to 29-year-olds favor Democratic congressional candidates in this election, while voters 65 and older prefer Republicans for Congress this year.
The question is, who will vote come Nov. 2? Only 45 percent of registered voters under 30 say they will definitely vote, compared to 76 percent of voters 30 and older, according to results of a poll released by the Pew Research Center last week. Historically, older voters tend to have higher turnouts, and the assumption is that this year will be like any other. But it doesn’t have to be.
Here is our choice: We can live up to the pundits’ low expectations of our level of civic engagement and let the will of other demographic groups determine the election. Or we can have an active voice in the direction of our own futures and show that we cannot be so easily dismissed as a force in this country.
The University and the student group P-Votes have made it easier for students to vote, and I hope that, regardless of your political beliefs or affiliations, you will take advantage of this. New Jersey voter registration forms were distributed to all student mailboxes last week, as were forms to request a New Jersey vote-by-mail ballot. Unfortunately, if you have not yet registered to vote in New Jersey, you have just missed the deadline. For those who are already registered, the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Oct. 26.
Alternatively, students can opt to vote at their home address, and the deadlines for voter registration in other states may be later. At www.maps.google.com/vote you can select your home state or type in your home address to find location-specific voter information.
Regardless of where your fall break plans take you, step out of the Orange Bubble, at least politically: Vote.
Miriam Geronimus is an ecology and evolutionary biology major from Ann Arbor, Mich. She can be reached at mgeronim@princeton.edu.
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