Young, poor and minorities are less likely to vote

Jeremy Anderson
MC301 Contributor/Staff Writer

Voting is considered to be the single most important source of power for U.S. citizens, allowing them to mold a government by the people and for the people. However, an unfortunate trend of low voter turnout is pervasive among some demographics in America

With the exception of national elections like the two won by President Barack Obama, college-aged persons vote at a much lower rate for local and state elections.

According to projectvote.org, approximately 21 million citizens under the age of 30 did not vote in 2008. Non-white or Latino 18-year-old citizens were registered to vote at a rate six percentage points behind their white counterparts, 51 percent of whom are registered. As of November 2008, fewer than half (49 percent) of 18-year-old citizens were registered to vote. This is 22 percentage points lower than the general population.

Some Jackson State University students feel that lower voter turnout among young people in local elections is because many feel that what goes on in local government has nothing to do with them.

“What’s the point of voting if you’re not going to know what’s going on with your surroundings,” said Eric Barber, a junior health education major from Leland, Miss.  “You can’t just vote for skin color, you have to know what you’re voting for.”

Student Government Association President Keonte Turner believes that young people have the potential to harness a lot of voting power.

“From my knowledge of politics, it’s very important for our generation to vote because we’re the leaders of the future,” said Turner, a senior biology major from Benton Harbor, Mich.

Other JSU students feel that not voting disrespects Civil Rights pioneers.

“People before us paved the way for us to have the right to vote.  If we want to see a difference or change the world, we have to put in the action to vote and come together,” said Andrew Scott, a senior biology major from Jackson, Miss.

Tatiyana Blood, a junior mass communications/English major agrees.

“We should let our voices be heard. I feel like our ancestors fought for us to vote and we should exercise that privilege,” said Blood.

Studies show that minorities face greater challenges in getting to the polls.

A Caltech/MIT survey estimates that between 910,000 and 3 million votes were lost due to registration problems in 2008. Another 1.8 million voters experienced equipment problems at the polls, making the total number of voters who were prevented from voting in 2008 greater than the margin of victory in the national popular vote in the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004.

Other findings in the Caltech/MIT survey show that approximately 17 percent of voters reported waits of 30 minutes or longer, primarily people of color in urban areas and the state of Florida.

Some students at JSU feel that despite statistics, if young people, minorities and impoverished citizens do not vote, they will not have equal representation in the government

“I feel like voting helps us get things done, makes things happen.  We can make a difference for our upcoming generations,” said Shalakkeia Brocks, a sophomore social work major from Jackson, Miss.

Ultimately, Cordarius Hill feels, “If we vote, we will have more power and more resources to other things we don’t know about.”

Students from MC301: Introduction to News Reporting also contributed to this article.