Millions joining the youth vote movement

Pitt sophomore Rose Kalgren and senior Yanni Hronas are bobbing in the deep end of the Trees… Pitt sophomore Rose Kalgren and senior Yanni Hronas are bobbing in the deep end of the Trees Hall pool waiting patiently for Intermediate Swimming class to end. Four minutes left. The rest of the class has already quit treading — the final exercise of the day — and hangs, near-silently, onto the side.

“Trickle down economics is the only plan that’s ever worked in this country,” says Hronas, his right arm coming out of the water to emphasize his point.

“But the wealthy can afford a few thousand more in taxes that are going to be cut from the middle class,” retorts Kalgren. “They need that extra money so much more.”

The discussion escalates, but only a bit; it’s hard to carry on a full economic debate while treading water.

“Alright, enough with the politics,” says junior Julia Axberg. But her sentiment is in the minority here — the other student swimmers simply listen in.

With the presidential election so close, the tension and uncertainty of the future is sparking conversations all over campus, and all over the country, among the young voters of America. Even in the deep end.

The America of November 2008 is far from that of four years ago. Since November 2004, the total of student loans has bloated 900%, making college nearly impossible for many would-be students. Since 2004, the number of American troops killed in Iraq has increased three and a half times over. Since 2004, or better, since only a few months ago, the economy has plummeted to depression-like depths.

And since 2004, over 9 million young voters have registered to vote today for the first time.

That’s an interesting juxtaposition, considering today’s being touted by everyone from politicians to next-door-neighbors as the most historic election in American history. From a desperate time for the country, it seems, has sprung one of the most vibrant and energetic movements since the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. Ours is a country of new, excited young voters creating a cultural shift to a national mindset where being politically aware and being cool aren’t mutually exclusive.

And from technological advances making the political process more accessible to a general distaste for the last eight years to faith in both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain as ‘change’ candidates, 2008 will be historic not just for whomever is elected, but for the youth culture that helped, more than ever, to put him there.

“It’s the coolest election we’ve ever faced. The 2004 election was important, but not nearly as exciting or energizing as this one,” said Jana Stec, a senior and member of the Pitt’s College Democrats. “It’s not the idea of just old people going out to vote – it’s everyone.”

She’s right; the entire country has been engaged in this election like none before it. But no age demographic has increased in such numbers at the polls as young voters. According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE), this year’s primaries saw increases of up to 7% in young voter (18-29) turnout from 2004. In fact, not one state’s primary reported a decrease in young voter turnout in 2008. And today’s final voter numbers are expected to be the highest since 1972, when voters were responding to the Vietnam War.

For young people in 2008 America, voting, much like Chuck Norris or ‘80s pop music, is cool again.

“There are a couple factors that have changed voting from being a taboo subject among young people,” said Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote. “New technology — Facebook and social networking sites, mobile phones — give young people the ability to be way more connected to each other, allowing this huge political conversation to take place.”

This is the first presidential election when candidates have appealed so directly to young voters on their grounds, marking territory where so many young Americans come together — the Internet. Sen. Obama’s Facebook page, for example, boasts over 2.3 million supporters; over 600,000 support Sen. McCain.

“It’s the advent of technology — of YouTube, all the news outlets online. The easy access we have to knowing our rights, that’s been a big help,” said Liz Rincon, Pennsylvania state director of the League of Young Voters.

The more human push for young people to vote, however, is twofold. There is both the push from the past — the desire to break out from the shadow of the past eight years, and the pull from the future — the excitement generated by both Sen. Obama and McCain promising a better tomorrow. Whatever the motivator, the enthusiasm is getting young people talking about more than the latest episode of “The Hills.” A recent Rock the Vote poll showed that 92% of young people are talking to their friends about the election.

And they’re not just talking about Sarah Palin’s looks or Sen. Obama’s charm, either. Young people across America are hearing candidates talk about issues affecting them, and actively spreading the word.

“Students are voting because of the issues they care about, college affordability being of top concern,” said Erica Williams of the National Education Association’s Campus Progress Action. “Since 2000, the cost of an average public college tuition and fees has gone up nearly 58%.”

“These issues are personal,” said Smith. “This generation grew up at a time when we see real roles of government — from taking care of natural disasters, responding to the country being attacked or going to war. We see a need for leadership in the country… and we want to decide who’s leading us.”

In the East Liberty office of Allegheny County’s League of Young Voters, the mood is tense. Only three days left. Stacks of papers, pamphlets, bags and t-shirts lay, organized somehow, on the floor next to the half-dozen volunteers assembling them. The walls are plastered with mottos, posters, charts and maps. The voices are quiet. Everyone’s focus here is on the task at hand — to get the young voters, who’ve registered online, on paper and on the street, to the polls.

The League, dedicated to targeting young and disenfranchised voters, has been working tirelessly for months, all in preparation for a 10-hour slot when the polls are open.

Liz Rincon stands at the head of a table where three volunteers have come to be trained for Election Day.

“Usually we start at 4 a.m., but since we have so many groups helping, you guys are lucky,” she says. “We’re starting at 6!”

The League’s volunteers will spend Election Day on the streets, knocking on doors, hanging reminders and — if needed — providing rides for voters without transportation. Whatever it takes to get the youth to vote. Rincon describes the last hours of Election Day.

“I have a ton of interns, but no children. I don’t know what labor pains feel like, but this, this is the final push. It’s when you won’t even remember how hard you worked. When you see how many people turned out to vote, all the work, all the stress won’t even matter.”

The volunteers file out and Rincon takes a seat, exhausted but exhilarated. She’s hesitant to feel too accomplished yet, and the stress won’t leave until 8:01 Tuesday night, when the polls have closed.

“Being excited and being informed,” she says, “are different than actually turning out to vote.”

To those a bit farther removed from the actual voting process, though, there’s no filter on the excitement, the feeling that voting on November 4, 2008, is not only a right, but a way to be a part of one of the most influential chapters in American history.

“Working in the past few elections, it was difficult to get people to stop and talk to me,” said Megan Hite of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization’s Student Voting Rights Protection Program. “With this election cycle, I’ll be walking down the street and people are following me.”

To many students, this information-hungry attitude is necessary for an informed vote.

“Finally, people are actually realizing that if you vote, there will be a change. If you do A, B will happen,” said Pitt senior Alka Singh. “Voting isn’t even just cool, it’s a necessity to be in the know. If you’re not, it’s like ‘What’s wrong with you?’”

For young voters across the country, the concept of the youth vote transcends the candidates, the issues and politics as a whole. The youth vote of 2008 is a movement, a cultural change. Young people in America, shown by record numbers of registered voters and the undeniable fervor pulsing through campuses like Pitt, want to be informed. They want to have a say in the leadership of the country.

“It’s about being a part of this historic moment,” said Smith. “It’s the fact that on November 4, millions of young people are going to come together and really make a statement. They’re going to take back their futures.”