Directions:
1. You read the article for homework last night. Please make a comment on the article that is about the length of a paragraph. Your comment must be thoughtful, analytical and must use the text to support your claim. This will probably be an opinion about what you think about what you read.
2. After you have made your comment and submitted it, refresh the page and make a thoughtful and respectful comment on at least two other classmates' posts. You may agree or disagree with their comment, but your wording should be chosen carefully and your comment should provide insight into your agreement or disagreement.
Few Millennials Plan to Vote in 2014
The group is disengaged and frustrated with Washington, a new poll shows.
Fewer than 1 in 4 millennials under 30 “definitely” plan to vote in this year’s midterm elections, a new poll finds.
Young voters’ trust in the government is at a five-year low, but not many millennials are planning on turning out for the 2014 elections to shake things up. According to a Harvard University Institute of Politics poll, fewer than 1 in 4 millennials under 30 “definitely” plan to vote in this year’s midterm elections.
“Young people still care about our country, but we will likely see more volunteerism than voting in 2014,” John Della Volpe, director of polling at the institute, said in a statement.
The numbers show voter enthusiasm among young people is down even from 2010, when Republicans took back the House of Representatives. Enthusiasm for the 2014 midterms is especially low among Democratic millennials, with the survey showing that 44 percent of young people who voted for 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney “definitely” plan to vote this year, while only 35 percent of President Barack Obama’s voters are planning to come back to the ballot box in November.
That could spell disastrous news for Democrats, who have traditionally relied on youth voters to give them the advantage on Election Day.
The poll begs the question of whether the Obama turnout machine can really get young people motivated without a president at the top of the ticket. It also found that young women, another key Democratic constituency, are feeling uninspired to head to the polls. Just 19 percent of women said they were “definitely” going to cast a ballot, compared to 28 percent of men.
Part of the reason young people are not all that interested in voting, experts said, is they don’t believe politicians in Washington are addressing issues that matter to them. The poll found that young people are very concerned about issues like wealth disparity in the country and student debt.
“To inspire the next generation to public service – and to improve our communities – our elected officials need to move past the bitter partisanship and work together to ensure progress and restore trust in government,” Trey Grayson, the institute’s director, said in a statement.
Surprisingly, the poll also showed a schism among millennials on marijuana legalization, with the group not hustling to smoke dope at the levels some might have anticipated. According to the poll, only 44 percent of millennials support legalizing marijuana, while 34 percent are opposed and 22 percent are unsure of where they stand. A separate Pew Research Center report from earlier this year showed much stronger support for marijuana legalization among millennials, with roughly 70 percent in favor of legalizing the drug.
The Harvard poll also shows strong differences among young Republicans and Democrats on the issue: Democrats support legalization 49 percent to 28 percent, while Republicans oppose it 50 percent to 32 percent. The issue may not motivate young people to go to the polls, either. According to the survey, just one in four are more likely to go out and vote if marijuana is on the ballot.
But while young people may not be enthusiastic about 2014, the poll found that millennials are already harboring some strong feelings about potential 2016 contenders. The poll found that among voters under 30, 52 percent view Democrat Hillary Clinton favorably. Meanwhile, only 21 percent of voters view New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, favorably after his entanglement in a scandal involving lane closures on a bridge.
“Young people still care about our country, but we will likely see more volunteerism than voting in 2014,” John Della Volpe, director of polling at the institute, said in a statement.
The numbers show voter enthusiasm among young people is down even from 2010, when Republicans took back the House of Representatives. Enthusiasm for the 2014 midterms is especially low among Democratic millennials, with the survey showing that 44 percent of young people who voted for 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney “definitely” plan to vote this year, while only 35 percent of President Barack Obama’s voters are planning to come back to the ballot box in November.
That could spell disastrous news for Democrats, who have traditionally relied on youth voters to give them the advantage on Election Day.
The poll begs the question of whether the Obama turnout machine can really get young people motivated without a president at the top of the ticket. It also found that young women, another key Democratic constituency, are feeling uninspired to head to the polls. Just 19 percent of women said they were “definitely” going to cast a ballot, compared to 28 percent of men.
Part of the reason young people are not all that interested in voting, experts said, is they don’t believe politicians in Washington are addressing issues that matter to them. The poll found that young people are very concerned about issues like wealth disparity in the country and student debt.
“To inspire the next generation to public service – and to improve our communities – our elected officials need to move past the bitter partisanship and work together to ensure progress and restore trust in government,” Trey Grayson, the institute’s director, said in a statement.
Surprisingly, the poll also showed a schism among millennials on marijuana legalization, with the group not hustling to smoke dope at the levels some might have anticipated. According to the poll, only 44 percent of millennials support legalizing marijuana, while 34 percent are opposed and 22 percent are unsure of where they stand. A separate Pew Research Center report from earlier this year showed much stronger support for marijuana legalization among millennials, with roughly 70 percent in favor of legalizing the drug.
The Harvard poll also shows strong differences among young Republicans and Democrats on the issue: Democrats support legalization 49 percent to 28 percent, while Republicans oppose it 50 percent to 32 percent. The issue may not motivate young people to go to the polls, either. According to the survey, just one in four are more likely to go out and vote if marijuana is on the ballot.
But while young people may not be enthusiastic about 2014, the poll found that millennials are already harboring some strong feelings about potential 2016 contenders. The poll found that among voters under 30, 52 percent view Democrat Hillary Clinton favorably. Meanwhile, only 21 percent of voters view New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, favorably after his entanglement in a scandal involving lane closures on a bridge.
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ReplyDeleteIn about the middle of the page the article says "...they don't believe politicians in Washington are addressing issues that matter to them." I believe this is a true and a false statement. The article is using "they" but referring to the millennials, the article is right in saying that Washington isn't covering topics we are interested on but that is because we are not voting. Who are the voters? Old people. What topics do they discuss in Washington? Things they know they will get votes on! If we don't show Washington what we want and/or need then they aren't going to discuss a vote! If we vote for the things we don't want and have campaigns and parades and strikes to show them what we DO want then they may start discussing things we care about. I also believe it is a false statement, anything the politicians discuss in Washington is important to us, whether it be for our future or for now we all live in this country and any law or bill that is being discussed requires our utmost attention.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should make it clear that it isn't right that the older generation gets a say and we don't. We should make that the issue.
DeleteThis makes a lot of sense.
DeleteI absolutely agree with what you are saying. But if mainly old people are the ones dealing with the government and voting, what if protesting for what we do want won't make them listen?
DeleteI agree. We need to make our voices heard and we need to put our opinion and requests out there! We also need to vote.
DeleteOnly having 25% of millennials voting could potentially be a really bad thing. If the younger generation isn't voting for what they want for themselves and their children, then they aren't going to get the things that they want. Right now, Medicare is definitely favoring towards the elderly. But not only the poor elderly are getting money, they rich are getting more that they don't need. Money is being taken from the younger generation's hardly worked for paychecks and being given to retired people who aren't working at all. Now, I'm not saying that every one of these people don't deserve it, I'm trying to sum up the fact that if you want change, then you have to voice your opinion and vote. Many polls were taken about the same time about millennials voting in the 2014 election. Numbers show that a higher percentage of young people vote when there are laws trying to be passed that apply to them. For example, the law attempting to legalize medicinal marijuana was voting on by 70% of the young population, in a poll taken by Harvard recently. In order to achieve a fair resolution for all ages for medicare, the younger population needs to realize how to government has been taking all of their money. The more people vote in a democracy, the more satisfied the entire population is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Caelen this is a valid point!
DeleteAnother factor in the legalization was the political party that the millennials were in for instance the democratic millennials were more for the legalization of marijuana than those who were in the Republican party.
DeleteI completely agree with the problems you presented.
DeleteI also agree that we need to get more involved in voting. There may be a lot of old people to vote but we are also great in numbers.
DeleteIts funny how when it has nothing to do with what the younger people want then only 25% vote but when it came to pot 70% vote
DeleteThis generation don't stopped caring about who's running the country, but instead worry about gyrating their hips and getting high like the clouds.
DeleteOur generation is careless about voting, and we should vote! Good point.
DeleteThe generation that we have become is wrong. We care to much about what happens to us right now rather than in the future.
DeleteThis article was not that surprising because until this class started, I wasn't that inspired to vote and be a big part of the whole political system until I read this article. I really thought it was interesting that many women weren't voting and that made me angry. After the women's movement, we had gained a freedom of voting and that should not be ignored. We shouldn't waste our freedom because we are not inspired or are too lazy to vote. This is what changed in myself and now I can't wait to vote when I am old enough. This article really made me think more about how we can really effect our society if we just try. Instead of playing video games and living off of netflix,we should spend more time thinking about our realities and make a change we want to see in the world. So lets all make that next step to change, and vote, because WE have this freedom.
ReplyDeleteReading about how women are not voting made me angry too! I don't understand why women wouldn't want to vote, other than the point stated in the article. Do you think there is a specific reason why women are not voting? I hope in the future (when we turn 18) that more will! I know I will.
DeleteReally like how you pointed out the problem and a way to fix the problem.
DeleteThis a a great point being made. I agree I think everyone should be taking advantage of the freedoms we have, freedoms that many great people fought for us in the past.
DeleteI have to agree with you, it is very upsetting to know that women out their are not taking advantage of the rights that we had to fight for. I know now, also from reading this article, that I want to be involved in voting and be aware of the issues around me.
DeleteAfter reading this article, I completely agree with how the younger generations are not voting due to the politicians not being able to work together. As one of the younger generation I see the lack of compromise to be a major reason to not even try to vote because nothing is getting done in our government (the recent government shutdown). One of the interesting things I noticed in the article was the low Democratic voting and more Republican voting, the question I have with this is if there is a correlation between how the House and Senate majorities are and the number of voters per party, or even if Obama's terms has had an effect too. A burning question I had was why are women not voting as much?
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, as does the article, the government needs to solve the issues that are most prevalent in society as well the government, so that way the younger generation will be more willing to voice their opinion and vote. The issue is whether or not the government will do that.
As my family was definitely affected by the government shutdown, I completely agree that the politicians in Washington DC need to start working together. And if they don't, our younger generation might lose even more faith in the government.
DeleteYou've stated many valid points in this paragraph.
DeleteI do think that millennials aren't voting because the topics that are being brought up aren't appealing to them. I do think that if officials can bring up an interesting and important topic to the youthful voters, then the percentage of people would steadily rise to a much more significant percentage. I also think that people need to find and be given motivation to go vote, because many men and women aren't voting because they just don't have that drive, and or, motivation to do so.
ReplyDeleteOur generation is lazy but yolo. I definitely think you are right.
DeleteAfter reading the article I was a little confused. When I read this, I got the message that young voters don't vote and that's a bad thing but then in the middle of the article they say that we are more concerned about wealth disparity and student debt. Do any of the people running for positions in our government have a plan for the issues that we have to deal with and want to change? To me this makes since on why younger people do not vote because the issues we want to be changed aren't even thought of by the government. The whole time of me reading this, I can see that it's trying to persuade you to think that younger voters don't care about the government which is not true. Most voters probably feel if we vote for things that don't really pertain to us is a waste.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking along the same lines, this article is slightly negative towards millennials.
DeleteReading the article "Few Millennials Plan to Vote in 2014 Election" was interesting. I didnt realize that so many young people don't really vote because aren't motivated. It seemed like more of the younger generation was voting for the republican party because they were using more of the issues that were interesting or relevant to them. That being said the democratic millennials are having a difficult time getting the youth enthusiastic about voting for them. In the article it was talking about how some youth are not interested in voting is because the politicians are not taking or talking about the problems that the young people feel are as important. The problems they say they feel need to be addressed are "wealth, disparity in the country, and student debt." Which to me I understand but I feel like they should think about what's going on in the real world. Not just about their problems.
ReplyDeleteThis article was slightly surprising to me in terms of the data represented. Lauren Fox wrote that, according to the survey, "just one in four are more likely to go out and vote if marijuana is on the ballot" (Fox). You would think that young people, unfortunately, would be the most enthusiastic age group to get marijuana legalized. But some back up for why that may be is that "They [millennials] don't believe politicians in Washington are addressing issues that matter to them" (Fox). I believe that this statement may hold our answer. Young people today are more concerned with our education, money, and future than we are with moral and social issues. I think that our desire and drive to be better and have more and get great jobs is far higher than previous generations. Issues that deeply concern us aren't truly being addressed and so we don't find it necessary to vote about things we don't care about.
ReplyDeleteIn some ways the younger generation is in the right because the presidential nominees are addressing the issues that concern young people to win their trust and vote, but once they are elected they don't do anything losing the votes for the next election. I think thats why many young people are not considering on voting and volunteer instead to try and make a change by themselves instead on believing in politicians. It can be that the young people are disappointed because of the current government and don't think that can be fixed by just electing someone.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason many young people are uninspired to vote contribute to the varying state of mind that a young adult maintains than that of the older generation. With the advent of social media and a growing population, the young adults' voice seems to be almost mute between that of the hundreds of millions who live in the U.S. and seems like almost a waste of time to go through the monotony that is registering, driving, delivering and placing a ballot for the count of 1 out of xxx,xxx,xxx. With social media being at the fingertips of nearly every young american, this has been the tool to advocate for change. This is how change is achieved and seen to be achieved by the younger generation. Many movements have started this way in unique ways. The ALS ice bucket challenge, groups that go out and protest such as for Ferguson, Kony 2012 was big not too long ago. This allowed change to be directly connected to those who participated while voting leads to passing problems onto another entity which could only possibly lead to indirect change over a longer timespan to problems that may not even be addressed. Change was achieved through this kind of social media/direct advocation and participation and until a social media movement of this magnitude is made for a thing such as voting, young people won't feel voting to be as imperative as it once was and still the one and the only thing guaranteed is a voting trend that might die out again. I'm leaving this post open ended to suggestions of other ways this could be fixed, etc.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the idea of getting a grander social media movement to get more young adults to vote, but I also feel that another reason that they aren't voting is their lack of interest in topics that are being voted on. Whereas there are a few young adults that vote every once in awhile for something that peaks their interest; there is still the other subjects that aren't even getting a second glance from them. Along side social media, it would be great to have a way to show everyone the importance of each matter at hand. Some topics that get voted on barely get any publicity so not many people actually hear about the situation resulting in a lack of votes.
DeleteSocial media I agree has irrefutably become the mainstream source of info and protest for young people of our generation. While websites like change.org and social justice spread a considerbly fast rate over the internet I think there is a reason as to why these forms of speech while as loud as they are in my opinion do get shunned out from older generations votes. The main demographic of voters are these elderly men and women, but we forget what generation they truly belong to in relation to technology. People of that age may use technology, but to them ballots are still the main source of voting to them. I really hope these trending memes on the net such as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge do come out more often, but until everyone recognizes the net as a great way to converse and speak out it will still be shadowed and casted out in the whole spectrum of things.
DeleteThe millennial plan is a significant topic. The lack of care provided by many young voters can be considered a big disapointment. I think its important for everybody to help contribute to help make our country the way it is. therefore would appreciate everybody putting their vote in and letting their voice be heard. I think the key to getting percentage of voters up is getting them interested and involved in topics they care about. And as soon as that happens their interests and involvement of voting will only grow.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that a lot of millennials aren't voting because they say that some of the topics that the polititians are focusing on don't apply to the younger people. But I would say that their are plenty of topics that DO apply to younger people, they just ignore it! issues such as immigrant policies, foreign policies, and national dept are issues that many millennials choose to ignore. But these are topics that directly effect our nation, and we all live in it! i think the real problem is that a lot of young people are ignoring the true problems and focusing more on smoking pot and legalizing gay marriage.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that a lot of younger people aren't voting due to either a lack of care ( though that's not all that often the case ), or due to the fact that they find that there is nothing that applies to their interests that they should vote for either than the next president. Another problem with why younger people aren't voting would be that they feel as if voting won't help them voice their opinion whereas doing volunteer work, participating in charities or non-profits, or involving themselves in protests are more likely to get themselves heard.
ReplyDeleteI like that you touch on volunteer work; I wonder how many are aware that these programs could potentially be threatened or lose some kind of funding if nobody votes to maintain them.
DeleteWhile I think it's true that more and more millennials aren't voting, I think it has less to do with the issues not seeming relevant to them. Rather, I think there may be some dissatisfaction with the leaders involved and lack of faith in the outcome or chance of what could be passed. When it comes to the ratio of women to men voters, with more men voting than women, it should be taken into account how more men hold congressional power and it's less likely for women's voices to be heard. Topics including abortion, birth control, and equal pay for equal work are heavily important for women, but these are not issues posing a near or any threat to men.
ReplyDeleteI said something similar, many people need renewed faith in the political process in order to want to become involved, and this includes addressing relevant issues such as the ones you mentioned. In order to spark a real change the people need something or someone to rally behind that they believe in, and the current state of the nation isn't providing that for them.
DeleteI agree that there is the fact of representation in government that poses an issue; especially since there are so many millennials that don't actually trust a majority of government ( including the president ).
DeleteIn this article, I actually think it's very surprising, but also embarrassing considering that I'm apart of the "millennial" group. I personally probably wouldn't vote either because I wouldn't want to make the wrong decision. However, I feel like there is a great unfair advantage when it comes to the amount of people who will vote and won't vote. Force would feel like the answer, but it's too outrageous to do so. I think to get millennials to vote is to appeal to them during the campaigns. It may be motivational even though the Harvard poll doesn't seem to support that option. It won't hurt to try to appeal to the younger audience anyways. We need the young audience to vote though because it's the future for not only them, but everyone else who lives in the country. They shouldn't complain if something happens they don't like if they never decided to vote.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the part about appealing to younger people. Maybe using social media more or engaging the candidates in a way that would be both interesting and motivational would be far more effective than having to watch boring debates where I can hardly understand what their talking about.
DeleteI fully agree with your last sentence especially; if you don't give your say, you can't complain when the people who do voice their opinion get their way.
DeleteI agree with you about the fact that people shouldn't complain. If you feel strongly enough about something to get mad about it not happening the way you wanted then you should've voted in the first place.
DeleteI found it surprising how ignorant the younger generation can choose to be. It's not like having access to information regarding elections is hard; it's just that voters from 18 to about 25 don't see elections as important because they don't immediately affect them. I find it ironic how younger people still complain about how nobody listens to them when it's because they don't make their voices heard in the most direct way, which is by voting.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the younger generation is being ignorant. I feel like they should see elections as important because it really does affect them directly. If a new law of any sort is passed, then they would have to follow it. But if they don't like it, well then they should have voted.
DeleteThe whole choosing to be ignorant thing really makes me angry because it's true. Its so dumb that people ignore important things that are going.
DeleteWhen it comes to the younger voters i agree with you in a way. We can be VERY ignorant. But when it comes to what we care about it has always been directed to the older voters to a point,i think that is why we choose to be like that and not vote as much because we don't really see what the government has to offer us.
DeleteThis makes so much sense. So many people complain about numerous issues when they could actually do something about it.
DeleteI do not agree that we as the "younger" generation we have never really had a say i mean people gave us the choice to vote at the age of 18 which is great but at the same time when we have never had a as in anything you want us to help choose the president!? I mean they expect us to learn so much! The government has never really told us about anything. and when it comes to thing that we care about like gay marriage and legalizing marijuana thats the only thing that they have given us a say in that effects us in the way we truly understand. When it comes to us "younger" People you have to put it in our perspective and if you don't we won't really understand.
ReplyDeleteI actually find this to be a tad bit humorous. I and I am sure plenty of you hear from word of mouth in the hallway about people complaining that this country is wrong in this right and that right etc etc... You'd think since we have so much to say about this country we would bind together and do something about it with our free speech or when we are older vote for the things we want. However, these statistics show (which I was astounded by the recency of the date) that we are doing the exact opposite. If we truly believe in what we believe don't you think we'd do something about it. If the elderly are the main voters and we just sit around doing nothing and wait till we are elderly to vote aren't we no better than the last generation? People put tax money into us because they believe we can change the world and support the older generations when they can't themselves. It is of utmost interest for you to consider voting when you turn 18 if you want to shape the world how you see fit.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%. If people want to complain about something, then they need to be willing to get up and be part of the solution, and that applies to much more than just politics.
DeleteI completely agree. It's seems like all you ever hear is people complaining that "the government doesn't listen" and "why don't we have a say" and "this and this should be done", but the problem is nobody is willing to get off their bum and DO something to fix it. This generation has a big weight on our shoulders because we are expected to fix everything that's wrong, and we can fulfill that by voting. I'll never understand why checking a box based off of your own opinion is so darn hard.
DeleteIt's kind of alarming how many younger people are not voting. We are the next generation, the generation that is suppose to be the change we want to see in the world and we can't see that change if we don't act. Part of acting would be being involved with the current issues we are facing and participating in trying to make things better by voting. I think our generation tends to ignore the major and important issues we have and focus on the stuff that interests us, for example, everyone focuses all their energy on the legalization of marijuana and gay marriage. Not that those topics don't matter, but there are also other things to be dealt with, improved, or changed. I think it's really interesting that we are letting the older generations, the ones that have, even if only slightly, have different ideals and thoughts and interests in mind, make the decisions with their majority vote. The younger people need to start paying attention and making a difference.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, based on the article, lots of youth are acting, but just trying to go to resources other than the government to do that, such as volunteer services. That's still a major problem, because the government will roll on doing what it wants if we don't participate.
DeleteThe youth of our nation as a whole has not taken an interest in politics much at all, and this is greatly due to the public opinion most younger people have of our government. Even millennials see politicians as corrupt and absorbed with self interest. Although many politicians have the best interest of our country at heart, their good reputations are fouled by the scandals brought on by the greedy and self absorbed. I believe that this more than anything has to do with why many of the younger generations don't take part in the voting process. They need something to believe in, something new and exciting. This is one of the reasons so many participated and supported Obama, because both his promise of change and progress, and the prospect of the first African American President exited the general public and encouraged them to take part. The same idea was expressed in the article, with 52% of the public favoring Hillary Clinton has a Presidential favorite. The millennials and all generations that follow need to be inspired and lead by the government, not seemingly oppressed and limited by it. They need a reason to get involved, something that pertains directly to them, and I believe that this is one of the fundamental changes that needs to occur in order to increase public voting as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI think part of the reason that young people don't think there are politicians to support there ideas is because everyone, young and old, are way too focused on the 2 party system. I think that if they looked at candidates outside of that, they'd be likely to find one that supports their causes, and maybe even help change the system.
DeleteI understand why feeling as though certain issues wouldn't concern you but, if you live in the country where those issues are happening then yes they concern you. I feel like the young people should learn about more issues than just pot and gay rights. I'm not saying that they have to have a strong opinion and protest about it, we just need people to vote. The more voices the better.
ReplyDeleteI agree that people should at least have another opinion on something that doesn't concern them directly.
DeleteThis article states that the younger generation is not voting, and to be honest, I agree. I am turning 18 before this November, and I plan to vote. Although there will not be an election till next year (I think), I am excited to vote. I want to decide whats best for myself, or what I think is best for this nation. I believe that I will fall in the (hopefully increasing) category of 44% of millennials to return this year. It is sad that less than one in four millennials will want to vote, and I hope I can change that.
ReplyDeleteEthan, I too, am excited to vote. but, i have a long, long time to go. I do agree that more millennials should vote, but how will you change it. What can you do to help make a diffrence
DeleteFrankly, I was surprised by the large number of young people who don't want to vote, especially considering that these youths seemed to be concerned with a number of issues. Although they feel like the current reps don't help support their issues, and feel that personal work, such as volunteering, is the best way to help the cases, this is fairly mislead. The reason the government exists is because, in the right scenario, with the right push, it is a strong vehicle for change. It is a tool that should be utilized rather than avoided. If you don't vote for people who support your issues, then obviously no one is going to be elected to support your issues. Volunteer work is good, and every little bit helps, but voting is necessary to create a stronger democratic union.
ReplyDeleteThats really what I thought, we don't want to vote because they arent helping with our issues. And yet a lot more people are voting for legalization for weed. . .
DeleteI agree with both of you guys. They (the government) talk about how much our generation needs to vote and blah blah blah but they arent doing anything about it. How do they expect us to vote vote if we arent motivated to do so?
DeleteI would agree with the fact that a lot of younger people arent voting due to the lack of being "unispired". I feel like the reason that younger people are not voting is because they probably feel like the thing that they are voting for will help them in the long haul. But I think that more people who are doing comunity services is a great way to help out as swell. The world needs more people to volenteer.
ReplyDeleteI feel the reason why the younger generations are not voting as much as the older is because they are not aware of the conflicts and problems that surround them, and that they have the belief that everything will turnout fine. In schools nowadays, they do not tell students that they can vote and make a difference in the way the country is, but instead, they teach what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present, and all in a manner which makes it seem as if we have no say in what happens. If the younger generation was more aware of the issues in their country and knew that they had a say in what happens, more younger people would vote. Also, many young people are focused on smaller issues that will have an immediate affect on themselves, while they should be looking at issues that affect their country and everyone else.
ReplyDeleteOver the course of many years, The millennials are voting less and less. The statistic about less the 1 in 4 millennials voting is a little shocking to me. but after reading in this article that the millennials believe that the government officials were not addressing any of the pressing issues towards that age group. That is really frustrating and infuriating. I understand the fact that even they dont want to vote. why would they? The millennials think that theyre votes are insignificant and small. When polls came out for the leagalization of marijuana, the millennials came out in big numbers andthey had a voice. If only they did this for other more pressing issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Younger generations need to become informed on every issue so that they can care about and vote on every issue.
DeleteThats the first thing I think about when Politics come up, is sometimes why should I care? They aren't ever talking about something that helps me out. And so I do get (most the time) why most people are not voting. But when 70% is voting for legalization for weed, it just saddens me as I think about how "great" our country really is.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. I think people are too ignorant to want to go out and actually stand up for what they believe instead they end up going out and voting for the things that everyone else is voting for like marijuana and gay marriage even if they don't necessarily believe in it. I also think that is part of them being unwilling to go out and learn about the issues around them.
DeleteI agree some topics I don't care about but now i realize I should pay more attention so that we can vote and do good things.
DeleteI agree with you all the way. I sometimes wonder why I should care because it has nothing to do with me, but then some people complain about the situations going on in the world, but they are not doing anything about it. It also saddens me to see people voting for things like marijuana and not something that has to do with our schools, kids, or public safety.
DeleteI agree that millennials are partially hurting the government by not voting, but by saying that politicians aren't fighting for the causes that they want to support is a little outlandish. There are plenty of issues out there that people can vote for that don't really get heard very often. The young people that are saying these things aren't focused on the issues that are effecting them, like Medicare and national debt, but instead the issues that are more superficial like Marijuana and gay marriage. I think if the millennials took the knowledge they have and actually looked more into problems that are effecting them, there would be more people thinking about voting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you almost completely. Young people need to become more informed and actually put effort into finding out if they want to vote or not. I think everyone voting would be the most beneficial. Young people often feel their voices are not being heard, but how can they be if they are not voting? And I agree that marijuana is a superficial and unimportant issue (at least to me), but I do not believe gay marriage is superficial. To me it is about equality. We don't prohibit people of different races getting married, why don't we let people of different genders get married? I don't intend to be rude towards your opinion, that is just my view.
DeleteAfter reading this article I understand what Lauren Fox means about the "Young people still care about our country, but we will likely see more volunteerism than voting in 2014". And I believe its going to stay this way because many people in the United States want to give back to their country in way it's appreciated so why not volunteer and help others in desperate need. But also voting can be a way of giving back to your country, but I believe they feel voting is something for more older and experienced people.
ReplyDeleteI agree, young people want to give back to the community, and feel voting won't give back as much as volunteerism, but if they only realized that it helped out a lot, it'd help out a lot.
DeleteI think millennials should vote because it could help our "problems" in america. Not a lot of young people pay attention to current events and politics, but they need to so that we can have a more fair government. It would be fair because young people would know what is going on and vote knowing what politicians say and what laws are about rather than just doing what their friends voted for. Voting could benefit them in the long run and future generations. The fact that only 44% of millennials voted for the legalization of marijuana, 34% were opposed and 22% weren't sure shows that young people might be invested in the government but they still don't pay attention and don't want to go and vote and change the government.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that a lot of younger people don't pay attention to the things going on around us, and maybe, if we educated ourselves, we would be more motivated to vote
DeleteHonestly, I just read this article after I sat down, but from what I can see, it seems like millennials are not participating in elections because they don't like any of the laws or politicians up for election. In the article it pointed out that some experts believe that the maybe one of the reason young people are not motivated to vote is because none of the politicians are addressing any of the problems concerning them and honestly, I partially agree with them. I mean, if a person is making me choose between eating dirt or cereal with water, I wouldn't choose either of the two because they both suck.
ReplyDeleteThe facts given in this article are both believable and worrying. Despite being fresh out of school and our new knowledge about our government, millennials tend to be not interested in politics or interested in the issues presented in the ballots. The statement that "we will likely see more volunteerism than voting in 2014" is because many believe that their one vote will not make much difference while volunteering directly and visibly impacts others. In actuality, one vote does count. A great number of millennials preach for certain changes but do not make a step implement those changes with a vote. To better our country, the youth needs to vote.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. They always seem to think that their voice doesn't matter but in reality it does. Those votes count.
DeleteI think many ''young' people are't voting because of the lack of patience with the voting system. It takes to long to have a bill passed that could benefit others or themselves. We are also to focused on our cause and do the minimum amount required such as a 'like' on facebook if you are for or aganist something. Our lack of compassion could also have an effect on our willingness to vote as well and getting the bigger picture of the greater good of the public such as how forigen aid should be used and the why. We (young people) need to have correct unbiased facts to make informed
ReplyDeleteI agree. The laws take too long to pass to the point where the issues aren't a priority in our live anymore.
DeleteAfter reading the article I was suprised at the lack of prescense the younger generations represent in the polls.
ReplyDeleteIt really goes to show how expansive and impressionable the media is throughout the years it just seems like nowadays if your not constantly trending or always reposted then you get lost in a sea of vines and twitter shoutouts.
1 in 4 millennials under 30 actually plan to vote this year compared to the years when nationalism being proud of your country and who ran it seems blurred in all the useless news about celebrities and so forth its really kind of sad
This article was accurate on the younger generation not voting. However I don't agree with the reasoning behind it. The article notes that we the younger generation isn't voting because the issues don't involve us. "Part of the reason young people are not all that interested in voting, experts said, is they don't believe politicians in washington are addressing issues that matter to them" ( Fox, 2014). I believe we as a generation are more aware of the problems within the country than these experts believe. However, the younger generation doesn't believe we're capable of any major change. Why should we? Most of us are still dependents in the eyes of any normal government. I'd explain further more, but I took too long.
ReplyDeleteVery true, I feel that we know what really needs to get done, but we're stuck in thinking that we can't change anything huge since we're still in need of the government for help.
DeleteIt seems as though the only time Millennials can really be motivated to vote in significant numbers is during a presidential election. Less than half of young people who voted in the 2012 election, for either candidate, have said they will be voting in the 2014 midterms. That's a pretty worrying statistic seeing as voting percentages amongst the millennial age group is so low. The Millennials' opinions simply aren't being as well represented as they should be, and it may be safe to assume they are as poorly represented in state and local. Whether it's disinterest or a difference of priorities between them and politicians that dismotivates young voters, numbers this low makes it seems as though this generation is simply apathetic. Hopefully that is not truly the case and hopefully there's someway to motivate Millennials to become more active voters.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and it's really terrifying that the percentage for the millennials is really low, what baffles me is that if what the experts said about "The poll found that young people are very concerned about issues like wealth disparity in the country and student debt" is true, why is it not taken to action?
DeleteDo you even lift bro ?
ReplyDeleteThe young men and women of this generation want to make a difference but want to see the results immediately. When we do volunteer work we see the results right before our eyes. When you cast a vote in a Presidential election that has Millions of voters you can get discouraged from thinking your voice will be heard. When i read this article i was surprised because personally I am really excited to vote and i thought other young people would be excited to use their rights as Americans.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at the lack of voting too... especially for 18 year olds. I'm excited to be able to vote too.
DeleteIt was surprising. I also agree that young people of this generation want to see results immediately.
DeleteIt was very surprising to me that not many young people vote. In my experience young people are usually full of ideas and opinions, and one would think they would want to contribute and have a say. I personally will be voting when I am old enough and will absolutely encourage other young people to vote. I think everyone should participate and make an effort to make changes, and voting is a big way that we all can do that. All young people are just as affected as any other generation by laws; we need to be a part of voting in order to be content with what gets passed or doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. Maybe more people would vote if issues that we cared about such as college prices could be voted on.
DeleteI agree. People usually complain about the world these days and do nothing about it. If they really cared and wanted change they should vote and make a say for what they want.
DeleteRight? Younger people talk about all these ideas that they want to change or do, but yet we don't take the action to do it.
DeleteI totally agree with you, i think it would be great if young people like ourselves voted because we have so many different views and ideas. If we want a change we have to take action.
DeleteThis article actually surprised me quite a bit, and am a little embarrassed considering that I am part of this millennial. To be honest, I never really thought about voting which makes me part of the problem. Although I am still a few years away from turning eighteen, I believe that I need to pay closer attention to what's currently going on with our government and what needs to change, as well as most other high school students in our country. We are only hurting ourselves by keeping quiet and not voting. Change won't keep immediately, but slowly over time. That is what our generation need to learn.
ReplyDeleteThe rate of young people voting is projected to be lower than 1 in 4 in the upcoming election, this I an all time low. Young people are the group that can have the most effect but choose not to. It seems that young people are discouraged by their trust in the government, and also thinking that they don't mean anything to the government. The democrats are hurt by this result because more of their votes come from the the young generation which is deciding to not vote. Current events such as ferguson is not helping the government gain the trust of young people. With the new election coming the young people most vote in order to make the changes they want. We all know that people aren't happy with everything that is going on, especially the young voters. If you want change you have to vote, I hope that the rated end up being higher then 1 in 4 in this upcoming election.
ReplyDeleteI hope that by the time we are all 18, we will decide to be the change and motivation that others in our generation seem to lack.
DeleteI agree, because the young adults that can vote choose not to due to the fact that they believe that they do not matter even though their vote is being counted.
DeleteThe younger generation of people that can vote have no motivation to vote. One of the reasons that that age group doesn't vote is because they don't feel like what is being voted for is going to affect them directly and they are more focused on things that do affect them, such as college tuition. Another reason that the majority of that age group doesn't vote is because they don't feel like their vote is going to make a big impact on whatever is being voted for, whether they care for it or not. They are discouraged from voting, those making what they believe is right lose to people who cared more to vote about the other option, giving them what they want even if it's not fair to the people on the other end.
ReplyDeleteThis generation of young people think that their voices will not be heard due to the fact that we don't really see it happen when we actually cast a vote for anything governmental. This young generation wants to see change right away and when we don't then we basically want to just stop what we are doing and give up. Due to the fact that this Millennial wants change, they should vote more because then the outcome will be more in their favor instead of the older people that want the things their way. In my opinion every vote does matter no matter how little you feel.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Kyler, the younger generations like ours don't really realize that every vote counts
DeleteGood Job!
DeleteStating that their voices wouldn't be heard is very smart because I was also thinking that because we are just a young generation and often enough elderly people don't think we are smart and think we are bad kids.
DeleteI believe the young people in our country do want to make a change in government and vote, and speak their mind about what needs to get done, but the reason they don't is because they feel that their one vote won't make anything happen. The problem with this is that tons of people think that their vote means nothing, and get discouraged and choose to not vote, but if they all saw that their votes really do matter, I feel that they'd vote to get things changed. All it takes is the young people of our generation to see that their votes do mean something, and that they need to do what they believe in.
ReplyDeleteAlso, sometimes they don't think what is being voted for will affect them directly, or they don't want to be the ones to say "I probably should have voted for that person" if things go wrong
DeleteI have to agree with a lot of what this article says. Millennials arent that interested in voting. This age group wants things to be done right away and we don't want to wait. This is really sad because more and more people are coming to realize that it is our generation that has the most knowledge of whatever topics are being brought up. This is because we are taking classes in high school to help us understand how or government works and what its doing to either help people or "help" people. Trey Grayson said " ' To inspire...our elected officials need to move past the bitter partnership and work together to ensure progress and restore trust in government,' ". Can this really happen? Even if it does happen will the next generation even be willing to take what they know and what they have learned and use that knowledge to make the decision to vote?
ReplyDeleteI feel that the youth today are just lazy and don't want to vote, because i'm pretty sure that teens or young adults are too busy doing there own thing. That could be them playing video games, working late, or just hanging out. Most of the youth now a day have to be motivated to vote, cause some people be like "Aint nobody got time for that," when voting is very important. When I read this article I felt that I am apart of the youth not wanting to vote, but after the video we watched about the old people and the medicare I feel like we are letting ourselves down, because we want stuff our way but we don't get what we want because we don't vote as much as we should be.
ReplyDeleteYeah I definately agree but I also think if we decide that we don't want to vote then we can't really complain about it you know? I feel like change starts with the younger people because we are the ones that make the future. The old people already lived their life so we shouldn't let them get what they want all the time and I think that video yesterday really did change alot of our minds and maybe made us want to vote when we turn 18.
DeleteI agree with you and yes I do feel as if our generation do need to be motivated to vote in order to make the changes we want to see.
DeleteThis is a very constructive response, Ala. I agree that the we , the youth, are letting ourselves down and that we should start doing something about it.
DeleteI agree with you, Drew. People of our generation want to see change immediately and aren't willing to wait which is a major problem.
ReplyDelete@DrewAmburgy
DeleteYoung people only vote for issues that matter to them. A new president, senator or a new county sheriff dont apply to the younger generation. They vote for things like legalization of pot, student debt, and other issues that they face everyday. If government officials expect young people to vote they need to propose fixes to everyday issues that they can apply to.
ReplyDeleteStill if we don't vote for the presidents that want to help the young people then the older generations will vote for the one that will help them instead.
DeleteI was surprised to discover that 18-25 year olds are the least likely to vote. You'd think that 18 year olds would be excited to vote because they are finally able to. I'm excited to be able to vote for the next election. I realize that it is frustrating when you want something to be done now, but by not voting, you're slimming the chances even more of getting what you want. The problem is, too many people think "I'm just one vote, it's not going to matter." But it does matter. They aren't the only ones who think that, leading to many people to not vote. As a student, I am going to vote for the cost of college tuition and education to be cheaper because it's ridiculous. In my opinion, we shouldn't need scholarships. We should just be able to afford it, period. I'm not looking forward to college because of the cost. I'm considering community college because its cheaper. I believe that our options shouldn't be limited.
ReplyDeleteThey say that young people still care about our country. Well in the article it shows that the voter enthusiasm among young people is down even from 2010, which is 4 years ago which means it is even worse now. One thing I got from the article is that women still don't vote or don't "feel" the need too. They also said that part of the reason why young people are not all that interested in voting because they don't believe politicians in Washington are addressing issues that matter to them. If young people were to vote then yes, we will get those issues addressed rather than complaining about it. In the last paragraph it says how in 2016 more young people will vote. Maybe us young people finally want that change in life and will vote to help address issues.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's easy to tell everybody that you care about our country but it means nothing if you don"t act on it.
DeleteI think if the government addresses topics that "millennials" actually care about then maybe they would actually consider voting in the upcoming elections. I think they're too busy going about their daily lives to care about what's going on in the government. I don't think it's not that they don't care, maybe they just think volunteering in your community is a better way to actually help people and more meaningful than voting. Also, the thing with voting is that there's always a chance you might lose and something you voted for won't go the way you wanted to. Volunteering, however, will actually help people in need. I mean you can't really lose at volunteering.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, Lauren Fox proves that the young generation look at society in America and want to make several important changes. The problem is, few young adults 18 to 21 do little about the issues relating to government involvement. I agree with the fact that wealth disparity and student debt are one of the biggest issues especially when it comes to Millennials. But so few take action by voting and participating in the political decisions. The government needs to put aside their differences whether they be from the Republican party or the Democratic party and compromise about what needs to take place. While the youth need to step up, do their research, and share their opinion about what American government could do better at. Personally, I'm excited to have the chance to vote this year and encourage the rest of the young generation to put a say and realize that our opinions really do matter.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone should be educated about the government so that they'll be encouraged to vote.
DeleteYeah I agree. Not saying that old don't know much about what is going on or anything but its true that that the young are more up to date with the world and really know what the problems are and what we should do to solve it. Young people really need to voice their opinions.
DeleteI agree that the government needs to put aside their differences. I feel like due to their differences they are going to vote against something that is needed for the country out of spite.
DeleteThe article states that millennials don't vote because they feel as if doesn't concern them, when in reality it does because like the healthcare issue we talked about in class a lot of kids including me didn't even know that was an issue. I don't think a lot of young men and woman don't really understand what they would be voting for even if they did vote because millennials don't get informed on a lot of things unless they watch the news a lot. In my opinion the news is interesting to watch for about thirty minutes then you start hearing things over and over that are not very relevant.
ReplyDeleteI agree! if they expect us to vote for change, we need to know what we are changing, just like the Medicare issue.
DeleteIt is surprising that so few of the younger people are not voting. I, for one agree, with the quote "They don't believe politicians in Washington are addressing issues that matter to them" (Fox 1). We don't see matters that pertain to us. It always seems like it is something that we have no interest to us. I feel like politicians are going the wrong way in advertising their campaign to the younger generation. I think due to that, it has to be a major reason why the younger generation is not voting. We want to make a difference but we want to see it happen as soon as possible and not wait for years of change. I think being able to vote can make the difference if I am just one vote, it can still count as something towards the cause that I believe in.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a shame that anybody anywhere regardless of their age or gender would choose not to vote in elections. In my opinion choosing not to vote means that you shouldn't be allowed to complain about issues with government. How can a person expect something to be different when they make no effort to change it? As far as the young generation of any decade is concerned I think young adults simply don't have the foresight to see how things affect them. Personally I really don't care if you vote. I'm not going to encourage anybody to vote regardless of the circumstances. That's not my problem because I have every intention of voting. It's your own choice to exercise or not exercise the rights our government allows.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Why do people complain? If you don't like something make a difference and do something about it!
DeleteI feel as though millennial's are very uneducated about the matter of politics simply because they are unmotivated to learn about them. It mentioned in the article how the issues being addressed in these elections don't matter or even apply to them, but the simple fact of the matter is that those issue do and will affect them in the future. There are people who are aware of these issues and clearly have an opinion, but they choose not to take a stand due to their lack of knowledge that it does affect them. On the other hand, I do feel as though there are outliers within the general opinion of voting. There are people who want to go out and make a difference. They simply want to make a change, but can't. This is why they volunteer. I believe we need to educated people and show them that their voice does in face matter.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely that today's younger generation doesn't have as many voters as there probably should be. However, I don't believe that it's because the issues being addressed are unimportant or don't involve us. The issues are discussed everywhere on social media. It's simply because everybody feels that their vote isn't going to make a difference because it's "only one vote." Unfortunately, what nobody seems to realize that when all those single votes add up, it can end up making a big difference. I can understand where people are coming from but at the same time it made me that much more excited to be able to vote.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the idea that young people do not vote because the issues are not related to them. I think that young people do not vote because they believe that no one would listen to their arguments. I believe our generation is clearly aware of the issues and what is happening around us. The change has to start with us if we want our country to be better for our kids and their kids, but older people also have to make it known to young people that what we do in this country and how we contribute to this country matters too. I also did not understand the idea behind women against men voting. The article implies that women do not vote because they are not inspired too. What does that really mean? I believe it's because women are also put in the poll of them being less important than men. Everyone should have the right to vote and everyone's vote should be treated and counted the same way. A lot of people think young people and even in some situations women do not know what they are talking about.
ReplyDeleteI think some women still believe that they shouldn't vote, which to me is just silly because you have the right too! So why not?
DeleteThe young voters in the country keep dropping to a lower percentage every year. The young people are only trying to get involved with wealth disparity in the country and student debt. Im surprised that not many young people don't believe that politicians and issues with Washington is not important enough to vote for. Right now only 19% of women vote as compare to 28% of men.
ReplyDeleteThe young group of men and women of the generation want to make a difference but expect to see immediate results. The process takes time and volunteering helps them see the change up front. While thinking that one vote won't make a change, votes still count.
ReplyDeleteEven though the whole of young voters have a lack of interest in voting, I find it interesting that they will take a position on political issues anyway. Which, in the grand scheme of politics, does little to no good, because that doesn't equate to an action, the said action being a vote, be it the primary or local elections.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this disconnect only widens because it's being talked about; "Those darned kids and their ignorance" being the stance of some, and the stigma that millennials won't vote because they feel that the issues don't pertain to them, makes this issue more difficult to deal with.