Interest Group Research Paper

In today’s society, we see many examples of James Madison’s explicit view on American political culture. Everyone in America, from the time that they have been born, has been placed into factions. Newborns are put into daycare facilities based on their parent’s income and parental beliefs. Students, throughout their entire academic career, have volunteered to become part of at least one faction. Some students stay after school for art club, French club, guitar club, or a select few even stay after for student council. The students select the student council members, by having fellow classmates’ sign the petition form that each individual member must get signed in order to become a representative. At the meetings, the student council might have enough money to only sponsor one after school activity, so they

Political inactivity on the part of young Americans stems from one fundamental source -- a general cynicism of the American political process. This disdain for politics is further perpetuated by a lack of voter education and a needlessly archaic voting procedure that creates barriers to voting where they need not exist. While many of these existing problems can be rectified with relative ease through the implementation of programs such as Internet voting and better voter education, such programs create only a partial solution.

The message emerging from a recent research series on youth civic and political participation is clear: today's youth are not disjoined from associational and small political life, but they are increasingly disenchanted with formal political institutions and practices. Children and youth under 18 have made sententious strides in recent years toward fuller involvement in democratic processes. These strides,

In Margaret Adsett’s article on young voters in Canada, she discusses the growing problem of low youth involvement in politics. In the paper, she tries to explain why the number of young voters has gone down from 70 per cent to 40 per cent between 1970 and 2000.

Billions of dollars are spent by thousands of lobbyists that work within Congress each year to see if they can alter or eliminate federal policies that they feel need are no longer needed or that need to be modified. Does the influence of money make it possible for the lobbyist to be more effective in changing the federal policies? This is a question that has been asked many times and with different points of views and opinions. It is sometimes said the person with the most money has the most influence but I don’t believe that that is always true.

Politicians should be engaging youth in upcoming elections through face-to-face interaction and the use of technology. Young voters don’t have enough awareness and knowledge about politics. By conducting outreach programs or visiting high schools and college/university campuses, would help young voters understand political platforms and will give the political leaders an opportunity to hear the concerns of young voters. For example, as post secondary students it would be encouraging to have the chance to engage with political leaders, and have a better understanding of what they represent and who we feel best represents us as Canadian citizens.

The newest generation, also known as the Millennials, has sparked one of the latest topics of debate and that is voting. Recent examples of young voters excelling political candidates have occurred with Bernie Sanders and even helped bring Barrack Obama into the presidency. These articles by The New York Times delve into the underlying cause of the low turnout rates. Most of these articles place the blame for low voter turnouts on colleges. Colleges are not to blame for these turnouts as they don’t discourage political thinking.

In conclusion, young voters need to take an active role in government in order to continue one of the founding principles of our country which is that we are an democratically elected republic who is looking out for the interest of all of its people. The problem lies not within the older generation who have high turnout rates and are concerned with supporting issues relative to their stage in life. Instead, the burden lies upon the apathetic younger generation whose unique ideals, viewpoints, and experiences are being squandered because we are not voting. It is time for young Americans to step up to the plate.

I believe that the college-age generation in America should be more active in public and political life, particularly regarding the policies of the United States Congress that concern important issues such as women’s rights, workplace discrimination, and healthcare.

The main point according Martin P. Wattenberg in Is Voting For Young People is that young people today do not vote during elections as much compared to other voting groups. Young people today are politically unengaged. “These state patterns of voting participation can be confirmed on the national level by the Census Bureau’s 2010 survey data. Among U.S. citizens under the age of 30 in 2010, only 24 percent reported that they voted.” (Page-188, IVYP) The low attendance of young people voting in Presidential elections indicates that young people do not care enough about politics to participate.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of people between the ages of 18 and 24 that have voted in presidential elections are steadily lower than any other age group (Johnston). What is it about the college age group that has lead to a decrease in their involvement of elections? For Orange is the New Black actress Natasha Lyonne, 37 years old, she is drawn to the polls because of the issue of prison reform (Johnston). This is only one of many examples of the older generation having a personal connection to an issue that drives them to research candidates, fill out the registration forms, and vote. It is because of the college students’ lack of a connection to the issues addressed in elections that has led to low voting rates. To resolve this predicament, a class should be institutionalized at all colleges. For example, there is a class called GOA currently at Xavier University and it is mandatory for all first-year students. It informs students about topics that are not taught in school.

“Young people are interested in politics, and do have faith in the democratic process. Nonetheless, the political system and the established parties and politicians that dominate it, are together failing to

We see young adults voicing their opinion many times in protests during the presidential election. There are many of them participating in protests to support their presidential candidate or to tear down the ones they dislike in this year's current election as well. But, as history has proven, their voices will be unanswered, despite it being so loud, because the

Back when the 2016 election was full-force, there was one candidate that drew in younger voters more than any other. He was a 76-year-old career politician. This man was Bernie Sanders, and even though my peers and good ol’ Sanders were insurmountably distant in age, he understood the political culture of the United States’ youth. He discussed issues that affected the kids of our future, such as education,

Throughout the history of America young people have always played a crucial role in politics. The famous writer Srirangam Srinivas wrote, “Our country is not in the hands of lazy and corrupted old politicians, this country is ours i.e. youth”. Young people between the ages 18 to 25 are the future of this country and its political system. The young people of America have a responsibility to be involved with politics and with their civic duties. The youth in America must be involved in politics to ensure that America stays a country of freedom, and to combat the corruption in politics, they must also be involved with their civic duties in order to give back to their country and to leave a legacy of political and civic participation