Why don't younger people vote?

It really doesn't matter why you're here. Why do teenagers have the vote? You're right, they're not particularly interested. And why are some trying to get the voting age reduce to 16? Well, golly, if you can be trusted to drive a car and get married certainly you can vote.

Welcome to the world of being used, teenageblogger. Basically, you're a Kleenex for the politicians to be used and discarded. Voting involves either a sense of responsibility or a sense of "what's in it for me." At your age, I was feeling totally overwhelmed planning a life when I didn't have a clue. I didn't need to take on corrupt politicians. Honestly, I'd done my time in the military, which was mandatory, and started on a career when I got serious about voting. I suppose that having two children also gave me more of a sense of responsibility about the future.

 

You get fined for not voting? How is that remotely democratic?

 

that is not taught in school as it contradicts the false narrative about FDR.

We hear all about how much the country prospered post WW2 when taxes were high. So, we then hear how higher taxes create prosperity.

It's never discussed that the rest of the industrialized world (wasn't much then either compared to now) had been bombed to bits leaving America as the major manufacturer

I had to fight the principal of the local HS because the Gore film was mandatory viewing but nothing about the opposing theory was ever provided.

 

This is Australia, Liberty is an alien concept to pretty much everyone. All issues are phrased in terms of public health or duty to the nation.

They figure it's an obligation like jury duty.

 

Kids should register in government class.


either that or when they get their drivers license.


I think we should allow them to vote at 16.


get them interested and working on campaigns.



Make voting cool

 

Young people don't vote because they have no reason to. Young people (largely) have everything provided for them by their parents. Food, shelter, internet access, entertainment, clothing, insurance, iPads and iPhones, et al. Young people are mainly interested in keeping that gravy-train running so they can be free to socialize (drink, party, and get laid). What is most important to most young people is what others think of them; how they dress, what they drive, their hairstyle, etc, and that they are popular amongst their peers.

Then.... the popularity contest abruptly ends, and the real world happens. Parents no longer providing all the necessities of life. OMG, what do we do? All of a sudden, no one cares how cool your car is, or that you have an awesome purple spiked mohawk, or that you've gotten to the hidden level 101 in ZombieWars, not just once, but 18 times!

Some will take this cold slap of reality, and use it to drive them to and pursue some gainful employment along a career path, become a taxpayer, become politically engaged. Others look to a replacement for the "mommy and daddy gravy-train" in government, so they can continue to be free from having to work or any personal responsibilities (these become Democrats ).

You will be motivated to vote when the issues are affecting you, or you are frightened enough by some single issue to get off the couch.

 

I felt like a democrat.... voting twice and all... lol


but my family voted no on medical marijuana

 

why do people pretend that voter fraud is a real thing?

 

http://www.newsmax.com/US/Carolina-voter-fraud-zombies/2014/04/03/id/563542/

because that's why


dead people vote too


http://www.newsmax.com/US/Carolina-voter-fraud-zombies/2014/04/03/id/563542/



why do people pretend it doesn't exist is the better question

 

newsmax is not a trustable source of facts

 

and that investigation was from april.


they found nothing huh

 

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...g-Island-Nassau-County-Newsday-230030371.html

oops, posted the same link twiced...... here's NBC



wikipedia is not trustworthy.... I posted valid sources according to any university..... just because you don't like what it says does not mean it's not valid

 

My answer to the OP is because they are discouraged from voting. The discouragement takes many forms, both active and passive, and Is seen by some as to their own political advantage.

You have your run of the mill voter suppression that is all too fashionable. Close the polls near the collages and open them up in the suburbs. Make sure Gun Registration is an acceptable form of voter ID but student IDs won't work. Do everything you can to make the youth vote as hard as possible because you fear who they might vote for. Voter statistics reaching back 50 years suggest it's effective.

Education has something to do with it. In my day, Civics was a 4th grade subject and just about everyone could tell you how a bill became law and the role of each if the cabinet posts. Today a depressing 57% of high school graduates can't name the 3 branches of Government.

Political propaganda has taken a toll on every demographic. We have been told for 35 years that Government is ineffectual and incompetent. The deliberate obstruction of Government functions have reinforced the idea. With the continued intentional gridlock, the American people have begun to believe Government doesn't matter. You aren't suppose to care about things that don't matter.

Then you have the onslaught of the negative poltical ads. There was a time when voters punished candidates that went negative, but those days are long gone. You hardly ever hear of what a candidate stands for, only opposition ads about why he is unfit for office. This is the area that has most felt the influence of big outside money. In many races the outside negative money is greater than the combined campaign spending of both candidates. It is meant to turn off voters and lower the turn out to only the most radical base of both parties. Given that likely hood that only about 1/3 of eligible voters will turn up at the polls, this is another strategy that works.

In spite of all of the obstacles, I still harbor hope for the future. In spite of all the efforts, there has not been a take over of the Government by extremists. The country is relatively balanced. If all of these bare knuckle tactics didn't win the day at their zenith, then chances are they won't prevail in the future. Slowly, step by step, Americans will take back and reform their Government allowing it to assume a new role in our lives. It will be up to the youth of today to determine what role that might be.

 

The public school system brainwashes teens and turns them into progressives....fortunately only about 1 in 3 of eligible voters under 30 bother to vote; this is not a bad thing...I encourage their apathy, one less vote for Liberalism.

 

while I don't believe that about public schools, or at least not the ones in my area where I teach..... I do believe that many of today's youth still have that "in a perfect world" mentality.


"we should just make war illegal, that will fix everything"


it's unachievable "utopia" that young voters seem to think is realistic without a firm graps on what actually goes on in the world.


so when I hear "everyone should vote" I cringe.... because not everyone should vote. if you think utopia is achievealbe.... then you shouldn't be voting

 

I could not disagree with you more. This is the selfish narrow minded arrogance that has driven this country to the brink. We need participation from everyone, not just the hypocritical few that think they know the "right" path. I'd love to have the wide eyed youth try to make the perfect world, Lord knows we tried at that age. It's only in learning to compromise with those that oppose your agenda or learning the difficulties of making a "perfect" world that we gain the wisdom needed in future leaders.

I'm all for the Australian model that mandates everyone votes. I am horrified of the ideologically pure running anything, most especially the Government. We need common sense in our politics and the only source of common sense is the common people. The very idea of voting being some type of earned privilege goes against everything I thought the country stands for.

 

kids (18-25) are idiots.... they vote the way MTV tells them to. An ignorant vote is dangerous because dangerous policies are created. I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed to vote.... I just have no issues if they stay home if they are ignorant to the way the world works.

 

Just my opinion, but if every idiot was denied the right to vote, the Democrats would win by consensus.

... At least as defined by the present GOP positions.

 

I know you want young kids to vote, as most are democrats, voting that peer pressured way of whatever's popular.


but lets make sure ignorant vote is defined as not knowing who or what you are really voting for.


I understand the importance. In fact, my wife is ignorantly voting in this election. She's voting teh way I tell her. In fact, I simply filled out the her absentee ballot and mailed it off.


it's an ignorant vote 100%. are you comfortable with me voting all conservative for her even though she has no opinion on the matter?

 

As of right now does the thought of paying for things my generation bought on your credit card sound important to you? Ask yourself this. Do you want to be able to buy a home when you get older or will you take solace in the fact that you wont be able to afford one because my generation felt the need to buy ourselves lapdances with your money and your childrens, childrens childrens money?
If it helps, I was against this crazy spending of your money, and the people who have already spent it, wont ever thank you for it. I honestly feel sorry for your age group. You have no idea what is in store for you. Each generation is supposed to leave a better life for the next.....but ooops, sorry there wasn't enough people like me who cared about you.
A little math quiz for you to put it in perspective which I hope you will do and post the answer to. Assuming we stop all spending today and start paying the debt back at 10 million dollars a day, tell us how many years it will be before your generation is out of our debt?

 

The older you get the more you learn the vote just doesn't matter.

It's power that matters.

Whether it be power in large groups or financial power, it's all power.

So the vote means absolutely jack.

 

I think of little orphan Annie. Because even back then, people didn't like what FDR was doing. Then I think, given the fact that he did try to stop spending so much and that made the situation worse takes stock out of the idea he extended the Depression. Then when I think about how the government pushed us towards WWII, I think of every single time in American history when that's happened. There's a lot of times.

 

I've voted before and it pretty much boils down to, as South Park eloquently put it, voting between a "Giant (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)" and a "Turd Sandwich". Why would anyone want to vote when those are your choices? I agree that quite a bit of nonvoters are just apathetic about voting in general but whenever I see people complain about people not voting they generally believe one should vote no matter what. Choosing not to vote is a cast vote in and of itself.

 

primaries.... that's when candidates are chosen.


The process is in place to select better candidates... but apathy only gets worse the farther away from the elections that include the POTUS