| Show Rock the me vote 0 r i It Empowerment o of 24 f 24 18 year olds o makes mate politicians nervous t John Williams CPS DEMOCRATS want you Republicans want you Rock stars and celebrities want you Public affairs organization want you Politicians want you What those orga organizations want from you is simple If you are 18 or older you can vote But to vote you must first be registered And if you are the typical college undergraduate between the ages of 18 and 24 you represent a segment of l American culture that is perceived perceived perceived per per- as being unlikely to vote or to participate in the political process So college and university campuses nationwide have b been n targeted by private and public interest groups to register students students stu stu- stu- stu den dents ts and to get them to the polls on Nov 3 Students tend to feel left out or candidates dont don't appear to be addressing issues that are of concern to students said Becky Cain president of the National League of Women Voters On liOn the anniversary anniversary anniversary sary of the right for year 18 olds to vote this group has the least percentage voter turnout of any other age group Get them on the rolls get them teem to the he polls said Mike Dolan field director for the California based Rock the Vote a profit non-profit non partisan partisan par par- tisa og organization that has organized organized organized or or- student voter registration registration tion drives nationwide Top issues that appear to be of concern to college students on the national level include the economy the environment and abortion rights rights activists activists say If stud students want to address these concerns they must first register to vote Then they can vote for candidates who most closely represent their ideals and ideas of what the government should be and what issues the representatives should address According to the Census 26 million men and women i in the he 24 18 age group group are eligible to vote and approximately approximately approximately ap ap- ap- ap proximately 40 percent of this group is registered II Among college students who are registered 80 percent vote said Jamie Jami Harmon president of the College Demo Democrats rats of America Many stu students dont don't feel they are a part of the American community They dont don't have families yet They dont don't have sunk-in sunk roots so they are not as as' politically active Harmon said Pol Political participation increases increases increases in in- creases with age We want to show students today that the political and governmental system system system tem isn't a joke The College Democrats are organizing organizing organizing or or- a Victory Vote program on campuses nationwide with the goal o of registering students ts this fall ideally fall ideally as Democrats Having targeted about college and universities universities universities in 15 states the College Democrats plan to hold rallies get publicity and have politicians from the local and national levels speak to students Harmon said that national polls show students identify with the Democratic Party and that main concerns on campuses campuses campuses cam- cam included educational is issues issues issues is- is sues student loans abortion and the environment College Republicans say polls indicate th the 24 18 age group is not comfortable with the issue of abortion n Tony National Chairperson Chairperson Chairperson Chair Chair- person of the College Republicans said polls indicate indicate indicate indi indi- cate that this age group favors Republican views toward government society and the economy His group will be working at the grassroots level on campuses and wont won't be using celebrities ties or rock shows to attract potential Republican r registrants 1 rila J nf JJ f-JJ el ld dc bo Lr t r. r r. r or o o fRock J Jq q t he Vote l i iS iO- iO or g ri ts' ts also to l tt 5 gisi Rock i the Vote was founded in fn 1990 by leading record labels and musicians in response to perceived perceived perceived per per- threats to the artistic ex ex- ex- ex It has since been broadened to include voter registration especially for lor young adul adults ts Dolan polan said Musicians and movie celebrities celebrities' will go to campuses and hold rallies to make students students stu stu- stu- stu den dents ts aware of the political process and to urge them to register Having stars and musicians involved is intensive It makes voter registration sexier he said Celebrities want to get involved and when they do it makes political participation a little cooler Rock the Vote has registered approximately young people in the past two years he said and many college and university ty students are included in- in eluded in the numbers What concerns young people is having access to the lithe system or being heard by politicians We have seen the basic issue and that is empowerment and access to the system Dolan said Many politicians dont don't want young people voting since young voters have no patterns of voting and are unpredictable That makes politicians nervous The minimum legal age to register is 18 If a s student lent goes away to attend college he or she may register to vote ote in the town or city wh where re the college is is' located a HoweVer many states have varying laws for residency requirements There is no national law establishing uniform registration for all 50 states II An option is to vote by absentee ballot if students are registered in their home states Cain said Since the the League of Women Voters has actively sought to get young people to register Jt thas also l published H m aon s ft r rights f sp Sp h Who 1 going state t ol st ter and W r t ii s Cf on i |
