Essay Transcript: October 19, 2000
By Ciel Hunter

HOST: A presidential election year is supposed to generate high voter turnout, but early signs are that this year, the pattern won't hold true among the nation's youngest voters. A recent survey by MTV and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation found that only half of citizens age 18 to 24 are registered to vote, and only 46 percent said they were absolutely certain they would vote. And that's something KUER Youth Election Fellow Ciel Hunter cannot understand.

Why is this happening? Why is this age group more concerned about controlling what plays on the radio than who will next represent them in Congress?

Most of the blame for this problem is put on a so-called indifference. An older, baby-boom generation looks at the political scene right now and laughs at how it compares to the time when they were young. There is no Vietnam War, there is no Dr. King, there is no draft, and no Kent State. Their mind translates this to mean that there is a huge group of people with nothing to fight for and who couldn't care less about anything anyway. I beg to differ.

All you have to do is mention gun control, gay rights, abortion, or even the fate of Napster and you can have a high school class on their feet with beads of sweat rolling down their faces. Some of my friends can get downright hateful when they talk about the dishonest and mistrustful vermin they think are being elected. Indifference is not the issue. The problem, as it appears to me, is a lack of initiative to get up, quit being passive, and do something about their beliefs. I have heard my peers defend their passivity with statements like:

"My one vote doesn't matter."

"The political world is too corrupt."

"I don't have the time to listen to the campaigns and pick the right one."

"Politicians don't care about us anyways."

As I listen, I can see validity in the points they make. Very little money flows from youth's wallets to campaign accounts. And 15 percent voter turnouts from a pool of only 24 million youth will barely factor into a victory or loss. I find it believable that political apathy in youth could foster indifference from candidates. There is little reason for our complaints to be answered or even regarded until we have a respectable turnout. I challenge the candidates to bring out the youth in November by listening to us and speaking on our issues.

The energy of people I know to be smart, suave, and techno-savvy could do wonders in Washington. They would whole-heartedly fight for freedom in entertainment and freedom in expression. They would fight for liberation from the financial burdens of higher education. They would fight for the teachers they respect and the artists they adore. They would fight to have their opinions and the opinions of their peers heard, and above all, respected.

I don't understand how more people would not want to have their own say. We live in a nation where we have the privilege to impact the way our country is run and fight for our beliefs. Don't just complain about the ruling against Napster or argue about concealed handguns over coffee. Research the candidates and find out who shares your same beliefs. Don't just sit and moan about how slimy you think politicians are, listen to debates, get online, or even watch MTV and find out who isn't slimy. There is no excuse to be an uninformed voter or to complain passively like an adolescent punk star. If you don't take the time to vote for the changes you want to see, you are letting millions of other people make the decisions about the future of this nation for you. Why not just use the small amount of energy it takes to put your opinion into the mix as well.

HOST: Ciel Hunter is a junior at West High School in Salt Lake City. Her essay is part of the KUER Youth Election Project.

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