Rock the Vote with the MOD SQUAD

I have a confession to make - I'm a junkie.

Politically speaking, that is.

But it's weird because I'm a college student...falling neatly into place in the "youth" demographic, infamous for having the lowest voter turnout and lowest political participation. And I can't understand why, when it comes to electing the next leader of the free world, some of my peers have no opinion (and no desire to have an opinion) on that matter.

Since the 1970s when our demographic was first given the right to vote, our voter turnout rates were much lower compared to that of other demographics. In Wattenberg's 2007 book, "Is Voting for Young People?" he compares the discrepancy between the youth vote and the older vote as being a far more skewed ratio than the voting rates between Whites and non-Whites prior to Civil Rights legislation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, turnouts by age in presidential elections started off as a 1.3:1 ratio of 65+ voters and those in the 21-24 demographic in1972. By 1996, the ratio was as skewed as 2.0:1. And the problem isn't uniquely American, either...countries such as Great Britain, Japan, Ireland, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, France, Finland, and Germany also report similarly alarming trends.

Why does this matter? I don't attribute the problem to complete apathy. I understand why someone doesn't feel the iminent need to vote. The decline in civic duty is clear across the board for Americans.We're more frustrated and disillusioned by politics than ever before, and darn it all, we'd rather vote for the next American Idol.

But I argue that IT DOES MATTER...and it matters a lot. The youth vote is so much more significant than people give it credit for.

We matter because WE VOTE DIFFERENTLY from our parents. If that weren't true, then our demographic would not be unique in its own right. According to research conducted by political analyst Dr. Sean Theriault of the University of Texas, American youth voted at a rate 3% higher than older demographics in 1996 for Clinton. In the hotly contested elections of 2000 and 2004, American youth voted for Gore at a rate at least 1% higher than all other demographics and for Kerry 5% more, respectively. And that was with only about a 30% voter turnout rate compared to up to 70% in the other demographics...imagine what the youth voters of swing states could have done.

Imagine how decisive we are, and how much more decisive we can be.

We matter because WE ARE MORE MODERATE than our parents. Theriault also explains that the stances that youth voters take on the issues are far more varied and diverse than the stances taken by other demographics. On issues of minority rights such as gay rights and civil rights, we've voted more liberally than our elders. But on issues of social security privatization and educational vouchers, we've voted more conservatively, too. So contrary to popular belief, we are not exclusively left-leaning. Neither do we lean right exclusively.

If you think about it, moderate voters are some of the most important voters in each election. It gets more specific for presidential elections because on a larger scale, with the American electoral college, the most decisive voters are moderates in swing states - which leads right back to the youth.

That's us, and we can make that kind of a difference.

And because no one party claims us, if we voted at the same rates as other demographics, candidates of each side would be forced to take our interests seriously and make us a significant part of their campaigns. So what in the world do we have to lose?

We are not universally liberal. We are not universally conservative.

We are independent, free-thinking, and progressive. We're the future. We're starting to slowly, but surely, make it cool to be politically involved and care about this election and other elections.

We don't want more of the same unless it's from the good ol' prosperous days that we'd like to see for ourselves. And we don't want change that doesn't translate into progress for our collective future.

We're moderates...but you can call us THE MOD SQUAD...and from now on, we'll be the deciders.