Torch

Issue date: 10/25/06Section: News

TORCH GRAPHIC/ JOSHUA MASSEL

College-aged students continue to be the demographic with the lowest percentage of voters, according to recent studies published by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The study, which was released in March 2006, explains that just 47 percent of U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in the 2004 presidential elections. Citizens between the ages of 65 and 74 represented the most active demographic, with 72 percent of their population represented in 2004.

"I think the elections seem less important to young people," said William B. Ferraro, president of the St. John's College Republicans. "I think that the issues seem less important when you're young. I think a lot of young people have a belief that nothing matters, that they [politicians] are all the same, and I don't think anything could be further from the truth. If you really take a look at the issues, you do your reading, you catch up on the news, you'll see that the parties are very different."

The U.S. Census Bureau's study proves Ferraro's intuitions correct. Forty-four percent of citizens polled between the ages of 18 and 24 cited a disinterest in the election or politics in general as their reason for not registering to vote in 2004.

Recent studies have also suggested that midterm elections are frequented far less than presidential elections, as only 22 percent of 18-29 year old citizens voted in the 2002 midterms, according to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).

"The general response I hear from students [about why they do not vote] is that their vote doesn't matter, that there's a group of old people that outweigh their opinions," said Shamil Rodriguez, president of St. John's College Democrats. "We can't come together and make our opinions heard."

Ferraro and Rodriguez both recognize their responsibilities to raise political awareness among their relatively apathetic demographic. Despite being overshadowed by older demographics, young voters showed improvement in numbers in 2004, as nearly half of the 42 million eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 29 (the highest level of participation among the young demographic in over a decade) reported to the polls, according to CIRCLE.

Both student leaders are hopeful for a good showing during this year's Nov. 7 midterm elections.

"[The elections] are very important because of the stakes this year," Ferraro said. "It's very clear to people that Republicans could lose their majority. This sort of thing does not happen all of the time. We took power in 1994, but that was the first time in some forty-odd years. It's not like we're going to be able to get power back in two or four more years."

Continued...

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