It’s been a couple of years since P. Diddy told us to vote or die, but even without a death threat, it’s time for another stab at the democratic process. If you haven’t already obtained an absentee ballot for the upcoming presidential primaries, pick one up while you’re home for Thanksgiving break.
The college vote should be crucial in deciding which candidate each party nominates for the 2008 presidential election. Over the summer, the Pew Charitable Trusts announced that turnout increased among young voters in the 2006 midterm election by nearly two million from the 2002 elections, while voting among adults over 30 barely rose at all.
The impact of the youth vote is growing, and candidates are showering attention on young voters as a result: Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) recently hosted a “high school night” in Iowa and dispatched a team of organizers to schools in New Hampshire to remind students to pick up absentee ballots, according to The Washington Post.
Not only will college-age voters play a role in deciding who ends up in office, the winner might actually listen to us once he or she gets to the White House. House Democrats announced prior to the 2006 elections that college affordability would top their agenda if they regained control of the House. It wasn’t just talk; in September, the House passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which increased the maximum amount for Pell Grants and reduced interest rates on student loans.
Politico.com blogger Roger Simon recently quoted Hillary Clinton advisor Mark Penn as saying that Obama’s young supporters “look like Facebook,” in contrast to Clinton’s supporters, who supposedly look like more serious “caucus-goers.” We may look like Facebook, but our votes still count just as much as all other registered voters’.
A simple Google search will provide ample information about local absentee voting guidelines. Many states allow you to download and print your ballot. If you have to pick up your ballot in person or you’re not a registered voter yet, Thanksgiving is a perfect time to make a quick run down to city hall or the courthouse. If that’s not enough of an incentive, we’re pretty sure you don’t want to answer to Sean Combs.
