Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A Participatory System (Post #2)

A recent New York Times article describes how young people (ages 18-25) are not likely to participate this year's mid-term elections. Less than 25% of eligible voters in this age group are expected to vote this November. (Please read the linked article). Many experts argue that Obama won the 2008 presidential election largely because he inspired young voters to turn out at the ballot box. Looks like the tone has changed; young people have lost their motivation.

Sadly, seeing young people disengaged from the political system is nothing new. Why do young people frequently feel left out of the political system? What would make the young (and all age groups) participate more regularly in politics and voting? A potential law in California a few years ago would have given 17 year-olds a half a vote. Would that help? Why do citizens in other industrialized nations vote at higher levels than Americans? How would you change the current political system to appeal more to young voters?

On the economic side, how does the scarcity of young voters impact how politicians behave? What are the opportunity costs to our society of not voting?

Please reply to this post by the end of the week. Cite your sources when applicable.

195 comments:

  1. I feel that young people don't vote because they don't care about politics much. I believe people ages 18-25 don't vote as much because they aren't as responsible as someone that is older than that.

    -Alex Matedne period 3. Bauer

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  2. i think people who are "under age" act immature about everything going on only some act like they are old enough to handel the politics


    anika gonzalez
    period 1
    sloan

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  3. I feel like young people don't vote because we are more in to parties and going out with friends. We really don't put attention whats going on around us and in the politics.if we think it doesn't involved us in a personal way we don't put attention to it.

    Carolina Garcia per.5 Bauer

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  4. Kayla Rodriguez Sloan Period 5August 17, 2010 at 9:47 PM

    Many teenagers do not pay attention to politics. We feel like we're not even apart of the real world yet. I dont think that 17 year olds would take advantage of voting for half a vote. Like Anika said, highschoolers are extremely immature and would overall not take this process seriously. It's going to take a lot to get under age people interested in politics.

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  5. I believe young people aren't motivated to vote, because in this point in their life, they don't consider politics to be a top priority. Once someone turns 18, he/she will cast their first ballot just for fun (because they can) and after that, they'll only vote on the issues that consern them. If the issues being voted on are somethings they don't consider interesting, why would they even bother? And if they did go (again, just because they can) then they would most likely be poorly informed and end up ruining a potentially important electioin by randomly voting.
    -Haley Neal
    Bauer per. 1

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  6. I think that people from ages 18-25 dont really go out and vote because they dont really know about politics and also who the runners are. Learning more about politics in high school would give them an idea about politics and maybe it could inspired them to vote more often.
    Jonathan Ramos
    Mr.Bauer
    Per.2

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  7. Chris Morales, Bauer period 5August 17, 2010 at 10:03 PM

    I believe that that the majority of young voters do not understand that their vote actually matters. Many people seem to believe that their one vote isn't very significant and that it isn't worth while to vote because there are so many others voting. Possibly one way to help increase the number of younger voters that turn out their should be more movements to help them feel like it will actually make an impact.

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  8. Most teenagers tend to not get too involved with voting in the polls because they are just flat
    -out not interested. The reason that makes most sense is probably the fact that students don't learn much about politics in school, therefore our daily lunch conversations aren't about who's running, and that's because we don't know enough about them to care and make an effort to vote.
    Danielle Barros
    Mr.Sloan
    Per. 4

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  9. Dominique Jimenez Sloan's 5th periodAugust 17, 2010 at 10:36 PM

    i believe young people voted for Obama mostly in the first place because they were aware that marijana would be lealized. i think this fact sparked many interests. Now that politics have became somewhat less interesting, teens are unlikely to care about it.

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  10. To me, it seems that young people aren't interested to what happens in our government as older people are due to the fact that at our age level, we mainly focus on school and enjoying our youth. Politics don't catch my attention, and I'm sure many others feel the same way.

    Guadalupe Velasquez, Sloan Period 1

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  12. Most young people dont vote in the United States becuase they dont have any idea of who to vote for or what politics are.They should teach all the young people about politics and how it works, so they could now whats going on around them and also so they could vote. Allowing 17 year olds to vote would not make any differents because they would be the same as the rest.This is a major inpact in our economy because one vote could be the key to success.
    Alex Gonzalez
    Per.5
    Mr.bauer

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  13. Gevevahna LathipanyaAugust 17, 2010 at 11:54 PM

    When it Comes to voting every decision counts. I believe that young Americans do not vote because they are clueless or uninterested in politics. That they are deprived of realizing the importance of how every vote counts and how much of a difference it does make. A majority of young people who do vote follow what is called a "hype" such as Obama running to be the first African American to be president. Teens should be educated better on the importance, value and concept of politics and voting so they know to vote.

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  14. i think it dosent matter how old the voting age is. People the age of 17 or younger wouldnt go out and vote because they dont care about politics or what president gets elected because there not fully mature yet.
    Alfredo Martinez
    P.1 Sloan

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  15. I feel it is pointless to give 17 year olds a 1/2 vote. It complicates things furthur which is uneccesary. Also, most people between the age group (18-25) probably aren't involved in politics that much because they feel their vote doesn't really matter. In terms of life, these people are still young adults and still have the belief that the older generation has it covered. We need to take responsibility and be apart of our countries system. It's partly what our troops fight for and should not go in vain.

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  16. Personally, the only time young people are involved with politics are when that particular topic attracts them. Even if the law was to give 17 year-olds a half vote, I feel that it would still not matter much because it's not in the interest of the young people to be voting. It's hard to appeal politics, or anything in any case, if that particular topic is not in the interest of mind of people. Scarcity of young voters does impact politicians. They need every vote they can get in order to win election. Therefore, they want people to vote and try to persuade as many people as possible. The opportunity cost of not voting may lead to getting a politician who is not worthy of his/her position. People who do vote give the preferred politician a higher chance of winning the election.

    Chrissy Vue
    Sloan
    AP Economics
    Period 3

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  17. Alexis Wason Bauer Period 3August 18, 2010 at 3:40 PM

    I believe students, espcially 18-19 year olds, feel as though they don't understand politics as much as an older voter and don't want to vote for something they don't agree with on accident. Another reason students don't vote is that we are affected as much with the issues as businessmen and women might be, therefore we feel our opinion doesn't matter as much as it would in a school election.

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  18. Asher Maroot- SloanAugust 18, 2010 at 3:49 PM

    Many young people choose not to vote because politics do not interest them. There is a lack of interests in politics because most things being voted on have no effect on the person voting. They can put in their vote, but everything they vote may not have a real effect on them. Another reason why many young people don't vote is because they don't know anything about what they are voting on. They may know the general idea of some things, but the real reason for having certain things is unknown.

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  19. I feel that a lot of young voters actually just do not care to pay attention to politics and that is why their vote is lost. I know that as a 17 year old I do not reguarly watch any type of news broadcast on television and during elections I have no idea of the big issues that are being discussed. A way to get young voters more involved would be to teach specific government issues while the children were still in school, not just their senior year. I feel personally if I was informed by my school earlier in my high school years then I would probably become a more active voter once I do turn 18.

    Devin Smith, Mr. Bauer, Period 1

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  20. Well,concerning the higher levels of voters in other countries, It might be because depending on the changes in their government, makes a greater impact than our government here in America.
    The Scarcity of Young voters impacts politicians campaigns because they have to reach within a farther spectrum of appeal, which tends to be difficult to appeal to all ages.
    To enable more young voters, maybe more campaigns and changes that would have to do with the lives of the youthful voters.

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  21. I think that younger people don't really care about whats going on in the world just yet. Some are still not mature enough to even understand whats going on. Teenagers just don't really understand politics as much as older people do yet, or just the topics are not too appealing to them yet.

    Mr.Bauer
    Period 3.

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  22. Erik Martin, Bauer, period 5August 18, 2010 at 5:28 PM

    I think that politicians would care more if younger people payed attention to the politics and what they are currently doing. I also think that if younger people would care more about whats going on around them then so would politicians and how they could push there ideas to the younger voters out there and recieve more votes through that.

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  23. Honestly i think that voting is not on the top of (18-25) year old's priority list. They don't think about it too much because they know that the older generation has it covered. Also they are just getting out on their own and have enough to deal with and balance without adding voting to the mix.

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  24. Maria Schmidt, Mr. Bauer, Period 5August 18, 2010 at 6:48 PM

    Young adults probably aren't going to vote because they don't feel as if they can make a difference. I agree with Devin Smith that many teenagers are simply uninformed about certain issues. Also, a young voter might not understand the issue enough and end up voting for something they didn't intend to vote on. I think what's keeping young voters away is their fear of making a mistake and also not being interested in what's going on.

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  25. Young people feel left out of the political system because between the ages of 18 and 25 they are just starting to enter the real world and to play a larger role in society. They are new to politics and this may be intimidating or uninteresting. People can be encouraged to participate in politics and voting by educating everyone about what they would be voting on as well as by showing voters how politics affects their lives.

    Bauer/Sloan

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  26. I can personally relate to anyone that does not want to vote at a young age. I have never found politics interesting, though i know it is a very important part of belonging to a democracy. Because I cannot vote yet and have no say in politics I have not spent any time to learn more about what is happening in my own nation and government. Once I turn 18 I hope that I will be motivated enough to concern myself with politics and focus on my own beliefs of how this country should operate. Sloan/Bauer

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  27. Josh McNearney Bauer P.3August 18, 2010 at 7:37 PM

    i think that young adults do not care as much towards voting simply because they don't care about anything that involves growing up because honestly who wants to grow up? people arent as motivated enough to get up and vote! VOTE FOR PEDRO!!

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  28. Amber Bullard Sloan p.3August 18, 2010 at 7:50 PM

    I think that younger people do not vote because they are not used to it. In the article it said older citizens vote more regularly and younger people are not used to having the right to vote so they see no need to go and vote especially if the matter does not seem to be concerned with them. To have more young voters, candidates need to focus at motivating and showing tto young people that their votes actually matter.

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  29. Chrissy Schmidt (Sloan/Bauer)August 18, 2010 at 7:59 PM

    Young people usually feel left out of the political system becuase they feel the issues being addressed do not effect them, or they never hear of the issues in a way that would hold their interest. I think the Rock the Vote campaign has helped raise interest to vote but if more young people are to take an interest in political issues there must be more debates geared towards the young voters.

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  30. I think young people don't vote mainly because they don't fully understand politics. The only way politicians would recieve votes from the younger population would be to target them in someway.

    Jaime Gamez
    Mr. Sloan
    Period 3

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  31. The first reason young people do not vote is simple laziness. There are funner things to do in life than to "waste" time reading a book about the various politicians and propositions and then go wait in line to cast something that seems of little importance at the time. However, the voter turnout cannot be blamed on just this.
    I believe that many young people do not decide to vote because we are disillusioned by politics and their infamy of bickering, corruption, and dishonesty. As youth, we want solutions and progress, not the political muddle that is our government. Why vote for someone who probably will not fulfill most of the promises you saw as important?
    Young people also see question in the value of the people's approval. The majority of important decisions that affect our country take place in Congress, and although the people chose these representatives, they cannot determine their actual decisions. Even worse, matters that the people actually vote on can be revoked by a judge or group of judges. Why vote when the people's voice can be revoked by one voice, or a few voices?

    Caleb Boyd
    Mr. Sloan
    Period 2

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  32. Dude, I definitely agree with you Caleb.
    Not only is all that true, but most young people are not exposed to regular politics int heir everyday life. The average kid who spends a few hours on TV every night is usually exposed to some form of mudslinging. All they will ever hear about on TV that has to do with politics is usually about a politician that can be picked on in some way.
    Not to mention, most of us young folks don't study how the federal government works until we are 17 or 18 anyways. By the time we can vote, we may actually kinda of maybe know what we are doing. But, we probably wont understand any candidate's true intentions with all the spin television puts on it anyways, not untill we get too old to play video games and have to result to reading stuff.

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  33. Josh Agans, Mr. Bauer, Period 5August 18, 2010 at 8:55 PM

    I think the voting policy as of now is fine the way it is. If we let young people start voting they wouldnt take it seriously. Not very many young adults pay attention to politics. They would probably just vote because they can. They wouldnt think about the future and what is best for our country. I also don't think young adults even want to vote. The voting policy is good the way it is to me.

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  34. i think young people in america dont vote often because alot of them may have a job, but they dont really have a career yet, so they're not really sure how the election is going to effect them yet.

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  35. I believe that young people don't vote because they don't care much about what happens around them as long as their world is just fine and dandy. Some just vote the same that their parents vote because they take the time to research. If there were interesting commercials on each politician and proposition, then it would motivate young people to look into the matter and see if they agree or disagree with it.We have so many interesting advances that take our attention away from the real world and politics.

    Melody Morphis
    Mr. Sloan
    per. 1

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  36. Morgan Woods------>BauerAugust 18, 2010 at 9:18 PM

    Young people today are faced with low expectations. Adults do not expect us to perform as adults yet and so we do not live up to our full potential until we are viewed by our elders, as adults. that is when we will begin to vote and when we will partake in society as adults. As long as we are faced with low expectations from parents, and teachers, we will not fully be involved in things such as politics. Think about the military. Young people go into it, having faced low expectations all their life and when they arrive at boot camp they are expected to be adults, they are expected to act a certain way. When these young people come back from boot camp they act a whole new way and present themselves differently because they were faced with much higher expectations

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  37. Brian Magina, Sloan p.3August 18, 2010 at 9:22 PM

    To be honest young adults do not vote because we are just too lazy and not educated enough about the subject to do so. Our generation would rather spend time playing x-box or watching jersey shore than paying attention to what's going on with politics and its' system. I believe the only way to fix this problem would be to teach more about politics when kids are in elementary school so that way it would stick in their heads better. Now that we're older though we're too "cool" to learn about politics.

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  38. To be brusque, I feel that most young adults are under the impression that they have more important things to do. It's not like that their one vote could really make a difference anyway, right? How can we blamed though when we are constantly assualted by conflicting views with every channel you turn? How can we not be dissuaded to vote when we can witness corruption so evidently, how can we trust our vote will even be considered. Go out and research the matter, you say? Certaintly we don't have time past friends, school, sports, and personal hobbies. Will lowering the age limit change voting numbers? No. Sorry to break your heart, but I believe thats the honest to goodness truth. Maybe every 17 year-old and a half years you'll see a rise, but the "exhilaration" recieved by voting for your first time will quickly fade. Maybe we should inroduce the american history and policies more in-depth earlier in the student's life to improve voting counts or we can just turn American into a totalitarian nation and get rid of the whole voting problems.

    Marklin Nixon
    Mr. Sloan
    Period 1

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  39. Amanda eckroth
    mr.sloan
    period 1

    I feel like its great that the govenrment cares if everyone votes but if people dont vote then they dont care whats going on and really dont know who to choose and doesnt care about it. why should you make a person vote?? if you do that then the person who win an election could be a mistack becuase that one person who didnt care who they want to vote for may have change the whole u.s.a for 4 years. so i believe that hey if people dont want to vote then let them choose the option of not voting

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  40. something i read in my psychology text book can relate to this, it was like Maslo's pyramid to self actualization, the second to last step to the top was independence or something like taking responsibility for yourself by, say, getting a job, license, taking care of college, and the final one was trying to make the world a better, and more moral place, i think most of the people in the range of 18-25 just haven't reached that level yet, they don't care, or they're smart and don't jump to vote about something they are not completely informed about. it IS hard to get accurate information with all the media's propaganda.

    bryan jenks
    bauer p.1
    AP gov

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  41. bryan jenks here again, @marklin well said mate, well said.

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  43. i think that teenagers are disconnected when it comes to polotics because it is hard to understand and bouring. no teenagers get togeather and watch c-span too see how things actually work. maybee if it was on mtv or something but for now the voteing age is good.

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  45. Bauer, period 2
    To me, This government is too corrupt to even be able to make a difference by voting, the real vote is made by the high ranking officials. There will always be the case that the president says something to get elected and doesn't do what he says he will. Young adults don't seem to care about politics because there is so much going on in their life. Young adults are also put down a lot by being considered as immature and irresponsible. That discourages them to vote. The economy is impacted by this because not everybody's opinion is given, therefore the choices made might not exactly be the best.

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  46. Maybe the age group disliked both candidates during the last election. I also agree with some of the above posts about our age group being discouraged to vote, i've had multiple occaisons where I hear people that believe anybody under around 21 does not have the "knowledge" or "capability" to make the best decision, which, for SOME people, I would agree, but the majority are plenty capable of making their own decisions. Must have a certain IQ to vote maybe...? =P

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  47. I think young people don't vote because politics can be really confusing. I also think young people don't vote because they are lazy or they really just don't care. Politics is probably the last thing on thier minds. Kayla Sweet Sloan per 1

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  49. If people dont want to vote I think that that is their choose. I do feel that thoughs people should not complain about politics and stuff like that. Kids under 18 I feel have more of reason to complain because they can't vote. I think that will encourage younger kids to vote. Tori milligan sloan per.3

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  50. Most young adults ages (18 to 24) seem not to vote because i think they just dont really care about polites just yet. Those ages they are still trying to figuer out what to do with thier life that most likely they dont know too much what they want in their country. Or they just have other things to do they just dont even think about it.

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  51. Sloan Period 1
    I think younger voters aren't fully into politics b/c its not a big of a deal. At least somethings, younger voters like to see something different. Like choosing a president, Obama was different and it made the elections alittle more interesting. Some younger people might not want to vote simply b/c its boring.

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  52. I belive that 18 year olds and over should vote not people under 18. ike the CA law that wsa stated to have 17 year olds to vote.
    Forrest MacDonald

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  53. I think that young people feel left out of the political system because they do not understand politics. They do not get how important a vote can be. To encourage their participation, it would be necessary to educate them about all the issues that are being voted on. Giving 17 year olds half a vote because they still would not know what they are voting for and how it could affect them.

    Omar Hoyos
    Sloan Per.2/Bauer Per.4

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  54. The reason why i think that most young people dont vote is because politician dont take the time to modavate they young community. If they took the time to know what the young people want and get them to be more involved. then more of them would vote.
    Monica Salzar
    mr sloan

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  55. sloan period 5
    I think that the younger voters are indeed not interested in polotics because they are more worried about who is dating who or who is going to fight who who has a party on saterday they could care less about who is running for govenor or president because they dont think it will affect them but in the long run it does in fact hurt or benifit us. It will take alot to get the younger voters to vote.

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  56. its tiffany again i agree with bryan jenks wat he says does make sense

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  57. Danielle Bulmer-- Bauer --- 4August 19, 2010 at 4:55 PM

    I believe the younger voters don't vote simply because they aren't interested and pretty much don't really care about what happens in politics.
    As some people would say "politics aren't for everyone".

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  58. I agree with half the people on here, people in their young adult life probably don't care that much about politics. They're still children and some still in high school. They are just starting life and are thinking about other things than government. I think once a person has grown up and are ready to be involved in the government, they will actually politically contribute to our country. think about, when did you start caring?

    Daniel Ruiz
    Sloan
    Per 5

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  60. I think part of the reason why young people dont vote is becausae they are too lazy to go through the process when they think one vote wont matter anyway. -Mr. Bauer

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  61. I think that most teenagers don't vote because politics doesn't seem like a big deal. Many of the teenagers don't feel like they're part of the big world and that their vote can really make a difference.
    Fran
    Bauer

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  62. I THINK THERE ARE MANY REASONS WHY "YOUNG ADULTS" DO NOT VOTE. FIRST OF ALL, THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED; THEY CAN CARE LESS BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO GET THEIR LIVES TOGETHER AND HAVE FUN. ANOTHER REASON THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON. FOR EXAMPLE THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW WHO IS RUNNING AS CANDIDATES. LASTLY THEY PROBABLY ARE TO WRAPPED UP WORKING, SCHOOL, OR STARTING A FAMILY.
    DIANA REYES SLOAN P2

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  63. karina ramos mr sloan p.1

    I believe that when the voting age was turned down to 18 people did vote. Now a days 18 year olds dont really pay much attention to politics.
    Since the majority dont vote maybe that's why some schools ask who in your opinion is your most liked president. This will most likley be the closest for an 18 year old to come to politics. But i do think that we should all take advantage that we do have the right to vote since we do live in this country and to make it a better place.

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  64. Caleb J Newman
    We do not vote due to the fact that most of us do not know whats going on. Many of us don't even care. Adults have been taking care of most of us and so we have trusted them with our future. As we grow older, as we work in the work force, as we come to term with the world we are in, we take a stand for things that we believe in. I suspect this is when most of us will start to vote in seriousness.

    I for one, am thankful for this. We are young and stupid, simple fact. We have not been out in the world long enough to see how the world works. We are not "educated" as some would say. We can not be "educated" at this time in our life, not because we lack the intelligence. To make an "educated" choice we will have to stand on our own two feet for a time.

    I would vote in order to prevent the 17 half vote law from being passed.

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  65. I think that most teenagers do not vote because they fell like politics is not as important as other things going on in this world. Not only do young adults not vote because they often feel like it is not important, but also that we as young adults often don't care about politics or are occupied with something else and can not find time to vote, so that is why often times young adults do not vote and leave the voting to either their parents and their community.

    Brian Leiva
    Mr. Sloan
    Period 5

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  66. I agree, young people are not into politics because they rather party and hang out with their friends. It is also true that highschoolers are not matture enough to take voting seriously.

    Sylvia Rodriguez
    Mr.Bauer P.2

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  67. At a young age many young people dont understand
    politics.it is dificult for many to stay conected with the political world if they dont understand it.this causes young adults to be uninformed and when the time comes to vote they feel discuraged by their lack of knowlege.young adults need to be educated so they know what is happening in their country.
    Alondra munoz
    sloan p.5

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  68. Lucero Cardiel. Mr. Bauer 3rd periodAugust 19, 2010 at 6:00 PM

    I agree with most of my peers on the pure fact that once a person turns 18, voting is not on the top of their to-do-list. Most think about going to TJ to be free to drink or maybe buy their first pack of cigarettes. I think the government should send flyers to seniors in high school on how important it is to vote, that we do have voice in this country. Also giving us a broader prospective as to the corruption that occurs and what we have to face.

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  69. young voters arent into voting because there vote is not as powerful. its only worth like not even what a full vote is worth. the way to get young ones to start voting is to make laws that have to do with their lives, they could care less about the laws right now, cause they still live with their parents and have no bills or big responsibilities, but once the voting is about them they will start trying to have a say in it.

    kimberlie hernandez
    sloan
    p.4

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  70. Gabriel Mabalot, Bauer, Per 4August 19, 2010 at 6:16 PM

    young people don't vote because we do not feel the need to. polticians do not appeal to us so we feel neglected by them. if all young voters ended up voting in the upcoming november election then we will all get a chance to be noticed in the future.

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  71. I believe that the reason people in the younger age groups dont vote because they dont care about politics. People between the ages of 18-25 are just starting to live their lives and politics is not important to them like it is to older people. Older people seem to be more aware with what is going on with politics so they are more likely to vote.

    Chelsea Ray
    Sloan p.1

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  72. I probably won't vote until I'm older either. Honestly, I have no clue about the beliefs of the people running, and I'm busy enough as it is without doing research. If I voted now I'd be voting for who my parents want to win and I'm not sure yet if they're right, and I know that I'm not alone on this one.

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  73. Joshua Barnhart-
    I believe young people dont vote because of how lazy we are. we dont want to take the time to read a bunch of papers and then vote on something that doesnt really pertain to us. especially since we have freshly graduated high school and dont want to touch another book bigger then 10 pages.

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  74. I feel that to get young teenage voters to vote politicians need to realize the stress an 18 year old gets and the temptations he or she faces , the last thing they wanna do is go out their way to vote and have a 50/50 chance that the politician their voting for might get into office. Adults and teenagers don't really know the importance of voting.

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  75. Lourdes Godinez
    Mr. Bauer
    Period 2

    I think the younger generation of voters do not vote because they do not know the importance of it. I think they dont feel the need to participate especially because they dont exactly know all the details about the elections. We don't see voting as our main priorites at this time.

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  76. I believe once you reach 18, you become very overwelmed with all the new responsibilities of life. It takes a few years to get settled into adulthood. I also believe they are self involved. Sad but true. Those are the prime years of liberty from parents. The free time they have is spent having fun, not trying to figure out what mind game the politicians are playing. Although they state one thing they have alterior motives. Politics are complicated enough as it is. They don't want the blame if the person they vote for turns out to be all talk and no actions. All the promises made only to get votes. After all, it's the way most politicians roll.

    Brenda Anguiano
    Mr. Bauer
    Period 4

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  77. Janeiry Balderas, Mr. Sloan, Period 4August 19, 2010 at 6:55 PM

    Many young voters might be discouraged to vote this year because of the fact that right now the things are not going as well as they should. When people feel that the situation is bad and they see that there is to much controversy and they feel that they are better off not voting. They don't feel like there vote can change the situation that our country is in. Our society suffers a great deal from not voting because the people that can make a change decide to stay home and not vote, but if all of the people that don't vote would go out to the polls we would see that they can affect the way that the elections go. Many people should appreciate the fact that they can vote not like other countries that cant or are forced to vote unfairly.

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  78. Jacqueline OlympiusAugust 19, 2010 at 7:01 PM

    I believe that saying that young people are frequently "left out" of the political system would not be the proper wording to describe this situation. The 18-25 age group is very much able to vote but do not take the initiative. In the nation we are living in, the focus of young people are on other things besides politics. We find such things as fashion and partying to be of greater significance in our lives than politics. Since America is so materialistic, this is probably why other nations have better turnout than we do. In other nations, the youth doesn't care as much about the fashion, partying, etc. that we do. Maybe if we were able to see how important political decisions really are in our lives, then we could dedicate the same attention to voting that we do to the other aspects of our lives that we view as important.

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  79. Jacqueline OlympiusAugust 19, 2010 at 7:05 PM

    p.s. previous comment left on behalf of my third period AP macroeconomics class with Mr. Sloan

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  80. it's true that most people our age have no interest in national politics, but what about those of us that do? i'd care enough to vote just to say that i did what i did to contribute to democracy. most people feel that one vote makes little to know difference, but if no one voted then the entire democratic system would be a waste, therefore, it is important to vote no matter how insignificant one may feel. but josh is right, we're all pretty lazy.

    sloan
    p.2

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  81. Bryana Zamarripa, BauerAugust 19, 2010 at 7:29 PM

    The lack of young voters in America makes politicians ignore them more than older citizens. SInce young people cant vote politicians focus will be on the older generations. The opportunity cost of young people not voting is that they wont have a say in the goernment and so the young people won't care as much about government issues.
    Bryana Zamarripa
    Bauer P. 2

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  82. i think that younger people dont participate in politics because they dont realize how much it affects them in the long run. I think as people get older they realize they want to have a say in who is running our country and with other important problems.

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  83. I think young people don't go out and vote because there are more things happening in their lives they feel is more important. Also because Politicians don't really target them, so they should do something about that.

    - Ivan Cardenas
    Sloan per.3

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  84. I believe young people don't go out and vote because they feel other people will take care of it. Also, most young people feel uninformed and that if they vote with no knowledge they feel they will make an incorrect decision. Another reason being that Politicians fail to address young people and so they feel as if the campaign doesn't apply to them

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  85. I think that as a teenager I don't feel it's at all important for me to vote and in general for teenagers. Politics are not appealing at all, so why would I want to vote for something that I'm not interested in.

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  86. I believe that young people do not pay attention to politics because it is not something that sparks their interests. They don't really pay attention to what is going around us. They are more occupied with other things in life, and don't see it as a priority.
    Melissa Quezada
    Mr. Bauer
    P.2

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  87. Although I agree with Marklin's totalitarian idea, I think that to motivate the young adults to really participate in the elections, you must not pursuade them with ideas, but actually reassure us that you will follow through with those ideas. As most average adults know, these "young" adults are not as stupid as some, if not most, government officials believe them to be. If you want the participation of this particular age group to increase, just talk to them like the rest of adults. Dumbing down the jargon you use, and simplifying the ideas you propose, only discourages that age group to vote. I also agree with Marklin's idea of starting the education of American History earlier. Beginning that education earlier, may help the future 17 year-olds, to really and truly understand how this country works. This country does not function by exclussively working for change; it takes much more to motivate America to work for the best of America. That's what I think, but if all else fails, a totalitarian government won't hurt our country.

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  88. I don't think young people realize the potential impact they can have on the vote.
    It seems to me that even though people have died for our ability to vote, it's like "ehhh I have better things to do" and they don't really care.
    Also people don't know half the time why they're voting for someone - not for his/her policies but only because of what they have heard. Perhaps if politicians made more of an effort to grab young people's attention we could help out and better our government.
    Katey Santillan
    Bauer P.1

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  89. First of all it wouldnt really if 17 year olds voted but i dont think we should at 17 we are young and dont want the burden on having to vote and make big decision at are age we have other things we have to do. But if someone wanted me to vote for them or for something then i would want them to make it exciting and were i could understand what the are talking about.Cause for most young prople they dont understand most of that voting stuff and shouldnt have to deal with it until they are older and then they understand it more.
    Morgan zimmerman
    Mr. Sloan

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  90. I believe that young people don't vote around the age of 18-25 because that is the age in which most kids finally have to face the real world. With college or a job factored into a person's life, they really don't want to worry about politics.
    Ryan Klucznik
    Bauer
    P.4

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  91. Honestly, young people in that age group never rarely get involved in the political elections because they either do not care or don't understand enough to make a proper decision. Most people in that age group are getting ready for college or starting their career and are not paying attention to the political world. Even giving a half-vote to seventeen year olds would not help because agian either they don't care enough to vote or just don't understand what they are voting for.

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  92. To me, I believe that young adults at that age don't have the experience, or have lived long enough to know what they want from the people they vote for. Put a 18 year old and a 40 year old in the same room and have them discuss major issues affecting their respective communities. Not only will the elder know more, but they most likely have experienced the hi's and low's of their choices, and can use that experience to make a better decision. Like someone else said on this blog, the priorities of people that are 18-25 probably have nothing to do with politics.

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  93. The young people among society, generally speaking, are much less involved period, not just politics wise, than in past years.Reason being could be that many of us solely rely on the adults that currently support us to also do our major decision making.Rarely do many think that our decision to vote, or lack there of, will affect us trmendously in the long run.
    Kaylanie Lavender PER.1 Mr. Bauer

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  94. I think that younger people do not vote because they feel left out. They are not yet really involved in the real world and I guess they don't feel the urge to participate in voting. I think the scarcity of young people voting affects the government because they want people to vote. They want everyone to decide who there leaders and laws are going to be.

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  95. Well, I'm about to turn 18 in December and I don't know anything about politics. Every vote counts and if I vote without knowing who to vote, that wouldn't be fair to the other candidate I didn't vote for. Plus, your living the best years of your life between the age of 18-25. So, who care about politics.

    P.S. Hey Greg, please have better blogs.

    Joshua Dela Cruz
    Mr. Sloan
    Period 2

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  96. The reason why young americans dont vote is because none of them really care. It doesnt matter if lower the voting age to 17, the fact is that none of them believe it affects them. They dont want to get caught up in complicated issues.

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  97. A lot of young people may feel discouraged to vote because they think their ideas don't matter because they are young, or that more expierenced voters may not take them seriously. Also, many people believe their individual votes don't help the cause they vote for. Americans are also getting lazier each generation and the majorities don't really care what happens, they'll just go with it. To encourage young people to start voting people should explain to them their votes really do matter and they should vote because it's their lives these votes will be impacting.
    Hayley Swearingen
    G. Sloan
    Per. 4

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  98. Well throughout the years more and more young adults have lost the intrest in politics, but why? My opinion on this blog is that the reason for less interest in young adults for politics is technology. All the technology an individual has leaves them no time to spend or devote time into politics for the reason why that people are hacked by their eloctronic devices and that they are no longer intrested in voting.
    -Omar Savala
    Mr. Bauer
    5th

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  99. Mr.Bauer
    Period 2

    I believe young people do not get out and vote because they do not feel the need to and/or their just flat out lazy.they might not understand the importance of their right to vote either.

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  100. Mr.Bauer
    The reason why most 18-25yrs olds dont pay much attention to politics is that they dont see what they get out of it. We all live selfish lives mostly looking out for #1 unless something benifits us we're mostly not interested. Many politicians dont pay much attention to that age group not wasting their kids "that only care about the next party, concert, or the next big thing". Give us something to care about and shove it are faces and tells that we can have the world the way we want if we just sit down and listen and took time to care.

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  101. i feel that the younger generation of about 18-25 dont vote because they are just not interested in what is going on in the political world. politicians then dont take political actions for these younger people.

    ~~brooke fletcher:)
    mr.bauer
    period 2

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  102. I think that the thought process of an 18 to 25 year old is something like this: "Oh, yeahhhh, I can vote..." then thats about the end of that. I don't think we young people are exposed enough to politics, beacause it's such a touchy subject. We're mostly taught not to bring up politics. I also think we don't vote because we dont beleive we can make much of a difference. But we can! I think we forget that it was mostly this age group that elected uor current president! We have a voice, and we need to use it! Because if you si around complaining about how things are being run, and don't do anything about it, youre being part of the problem, not the solution.

    Lower the voting age to 17! I'll vote!

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  103. Danielle Smith, Sloan P1August 19, 2010 at 8:48 PM

    I think young people feel left out of the political system because we remove ourselves from it. The majority of teens just don't care all that much about politics. You don't find many 18 year olds watching any of the politics shows on TV, I can't even think of the name of one! <-- Shows how much we care, huh? Point made. Anyway, I'm really not sure what would get younger people more interested in voting. Maybe if we were taught more about government systems from a younger age than our senior year, we would see its importance and make sure we get our votes in. I honestly don't see why people don't vote in the first place. It's just a couple times a year, if that. People are just lazy! When these politicians don't get as many votes as they need, I think that's when those terrible, malicious advertisements about their competitor(s) come out just so they make sure they make the others look bad, to get themselves more votes.

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  104. In oder for more young peolpe to get involved in voting, we need to get them motivated or interested in politics. The less young people vote the more one the older generation will control what goes on in the world of politics.

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  105. I think that younger people dont pay attention to politicians. They dont care whats happening. Their probably in their own world.

    Sania bacha
    Mr. bauer
    per.3

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  106. Jasmine Holt Sloan period 2August 19, 2010 at 8:53 PM

    I honestly believe that there is not much that can be done to make young people vote. They're not really into politics because they feel that it doesn't involve them much. I don' git think that giving 17 years old half a vote would help at all. Why vote if you don't get a full vote like everyone else? I also think that a lot of Americans don't vote simply because they're lazy.

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  107. I strongly disagree with these statements that young voters ages 18-25 will not turn out to vote this November. I myself have been working for the last week and will continue to work with the Dr. Ami Bera for Congress campaign until November. The vast majority of interns, volunteers and canvassers are 20 and younger. I work side by side 18 and 19 year olds phone banking almost everyday to make sure that this block of voters turns out again this November. From my experiences talking with these voters, a huge majority will be voting this November and it is actually the 30-50 years old voters that are causing the most conflict. Many of these 30-50 year olds argue and yell when we call to inform them about Dr. Ami Bera or when we ask to make their life more easy by letting them mail in their ballot for free thanks to the state of California. And to address the the statement that voters are uniformed and such, I have had the best political stimulated debates with these 18 and 19 year olds and even the two men that are in charge of use interns, a 28 year old and another man who is barley 25. I can only speak for my self but the young Democrat voters in the CA03 district to my knowledge seem ready and will come out to vote and change district CA03 from red to blue!

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  108. Sorry I'm Bauer period 1*

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  109. Maria Perez
    Mr. Sloan
    Period:4

    Young people may be feeling left out of the political system because maybe they are not ready to take such responsibilities of voting and making decisions that may affect other people in a bad way, not knowing what they want themselves and may choose something just for choosing. If the politicians gave more information and advice to everyone specially the younger ones they can become more comfortable with it, and make the right choice for them and for the rest of the people. The only thing I would change in the political system would be that they should provide more information about their options and explain carefully to the younger people who are voting for the first time.

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  110. Most young adults are not involved in politics as much because politicians don't do anything to motivate them to do so. I don't think teenagers voting at that age will be a good idea because it won't change things.

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  111. Young people believe politics is boring. A reason why young people choose not to vote is because they simply don't care. Sure, they probably know how to vote, but they don't think any of this voting affects them. We don't know what side we should be on because we were never really taught about politics and government throughout our school years.

    Muey Saetern
    Sloan, per. 2

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  112. Most people from age 18-25 dont vote because they really dont care about politics. They are more interested in other things in their lives, so they dont even pay attention to politics. Mr. Sloan P.3

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  113. Alyssa Cuevas
    Period 4

    Young adults dont deserve the right to have a voting right because not only are they not mature enought but they may not know that meaning of what they are voting for, i believe that the current voting age is fair..

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  114. I think that giving people the right to vote at the age of 17 & 1/2 isn't gonna change anything. If they don't choose to vote at 18 its not gonna change at 17 & 1/2. Personally i think teens only vote on things they care about, things that have to do with them. Most 18 year old's don't care who our next president is going to be or things like that. Most 18 year old's are more focused on the things there now allowed to do at 18. So at 17 & 1/2 i don't think many teens will be too interested.

    -Ashley Hall
    Mr.sloan

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  115. I Believe that the reason younger voters do not vote is because they are too busy doing other things. In this economy it is imperative that people have a supporting job, therefor people are focusing on working. I Also believe this effects the politicians because without the aspect of the younger voters, they only focus on what is being voted on. Which is the older crowd. Therefor not satisfying the younger selection.


    Johnathon Skinner
    Mr. Sloan
    Gov/Econ
    Per. 1

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  116. Although a law that gives 17 year olds a right to vote sounds promising, it isn't. Most teens aren't associated with politics and don't care to follow it. While people get older and start living on their own, they tend to realize that their government is very important and they get more involved in it. For teenagers, their minds aren't on things that don't affect them as much as it does adults, such as politics.

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  117. I think young people do not vote because they are not inform or educated about the issues in our country and world. Some young people just do not care about the problems of society. Some young people are also just learning how be independent and are new to politics.
    Erica Ayala
    Mr. Bauer
    Per. 4

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  118. Young adults are not quite educated on politics so they have no interest in the matter. Although politics are a key to are govt and effect everyone, the youth have not yet realized. just as Brian said Video Games and Jersey Shore are some of the things most would rather do. Changing the voting age to 17 probalbly wouldnt motivate the youth to do so. Maybe if Paulie D or Mike Da Situation were avid voters people would go running to go vote.

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  119. I think that teenagers don't vote because the majority of politicians (lets face it) are corrupt lying hypocrites and most of the time fail to deliver. Politicians have forgotten to represent their constituents and not their respective parties. That is why young people are disinterested we get lied to enough as it is. And also no I don't think lowering the age limit would do anything.

    Mr. Sloan
    Period 2

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  120. Sarah Richter, Bauer, Period 5August 19, 2010 at 9:40 PM

    I think that young people don't vote because they feel like there vote doesn't make a difference. Also i think that young people arnt educated enough to make big decisions like that. Some kids don't even really care about politics anyways but once they get older they relize how much they impact on their lives, so they get more into it and start to vote.

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  121. People between 18-25 don't participate in voting because there is too much going on. I myself am not interested in voting because I feel like I have better things to worry about,and I am sure that I am not the only one. We have to worry about school, college, tests, and our social life overall. I still think that voting is important, but with I will probably only vote on the major topics.

    Rotceh Gonzalez
    Bauer
    sloan

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  122. I believe that people 18-25 dont vote because most people that age really dont care what happens. They arent as concerned as older people. Older people "care" more about their country.

    Jesse Morales, Bauer, per. 3

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  123. Young people do not take action in voting because they are simply caught up in college or in work. Young people, tend to care more about having fun than caring about politics. Your early life is usually the busiest time because of all the responsibilties that you have to fulfill. as you age and realize how precious money is, you realize that voting is very importanrt because who you end up voting for ultimately decides how much taxes you pay and how they spend it.

    Ruben Rodriguez
    Mr. Bauer
    Per. 5

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  124. Sergio Maldonado, Sloan p.3/Bauer p.4August 19, 2010 at 9:48 PM

    Young adults probably do not vote because they lack the experience. In school teachers try teach you strategies how take tests and write essays to prepare you for college, but not all classes stress the importance of voting,which almost anyone that has turned eighteen can do, even if they go to college or not. Young adults may also think that their 1 vote may not make a difference, however if many voters think that way, how many tens of thousands of votes are wasted?

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  125. Mr.Bauer
    Period 5
    Ecomomics

    I think that that young people dont vote because we have too much goin on in our lives right now. I also think we dont vote because we dont know enough about politics to understand whats going on.

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  126. I beleave that young poeple dont vote cause it is to confusing to understand all of the little things that come with politics and noone wants to take the time to go deal with all of that. This affect the votes cause the younger people are starting their habbits now if they never learn to vote they will never do it when they are older either. This means when they are older their voices wont be heard.
    -Austin Retherford- Mr.Bauer period 5

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  127. In order for young people to be attracted to voting they have to be reached out to the young voters by the use of different kinds of media such as twitter, facebook, myspace etc.Politicians need to keep there promises n allow young voters to participate in discussions that matters to them.
    Mr. Sloan
    Erika Oropeza
    P.4

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  128. The societal construct of America primarily comprises of young people that are at a disconnect from the political practices of this nation. Those who primarily vote are indoctrinated by their liberal professors in college and are advised to go and endorse a candidate. Why do you think we have Obama as President? (Sloan P.3/Bauer P.4)

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  129. I believe that one reason why young people do not vote as often is that many of them do not know much, or anything about what is happening in politics. They are not informed of what is going on in the nation. Another reason is that many of them believe that their vote won't really do anything to help because it is just one person.

    Sloan, Per.2

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  130. Young people in today's society do not vote as much comparatively to older adults because we feel uninformed of what's going on in the world and how it works. Teens do not pay attention to the news and the propositions or elections because it doesn't appeal to them; it's just not interesting to them. Not only that, there are so many candidates for elections that focus on the bad things about the other candidate that we don't always know what is the truth or why we should vote for them specifically. They're focused on "what can I say about the other so that they wont like them and will have to vote for me?" But what they should be doing is saying what they're going to do, and not use their propaganda because it only confuses us. Not only do we not know how everything works, a part of the population doesn't feel obligated to vote and make decisions because they believe the "adults" will take care of that. Another part of the population may believe that they might vote for the wrong thing or person and they don't want the burden of "oh, how could I have voted for that." When you're young you always want to be right so if there's a chance that you could have voted for the wrong thing or person it can scare the teens off. Now of the economic stand point, by the teens not participating in voting as much as adults, the politicians thus focus on the adults to win them over because they know that they will for sure vote. If they spent their time and money on the teens that more then likely wont vote then they've wasted their time and money which is scarce. Politicians want a for sure answer, or ending. They want to know that who they're talking to will vote. So they don't center they're speeches or campaigns on the teens.

    Bauer per.1
    Sloan per.2

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  131. I believe that young voters will turn out to vote this November. Young people are always expressing their wishes of change, and believe that they can make a big and positive difference. If the younger generation feels as though their views are neglected from the political system, shouldn't that provide incentive to vote more proactively. If the younger generation helped determine the president of the United States, then they could certainly effect what the outcome will be this November.
    Conner Woods Bauer

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  132. I believe that young voters do not vote because for years they have been used to the older generation controlling the vote, and they feel like their one vote will not make a difference. Each of the millions think that their one vote will not make a difference, but what they don't realize is that this would be millions of votes, that would change things.
    Bauer per. 1
    Sloan per. 3

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  133. Cecilia Gonzalez Sloan P4August 19, 2010 at 10:10 PM

    The younger generations, might feel left out of the political system because theres not much that interests them at the moment. Like most students said. some arent worried about the future and what will b in store for them, they just think about having fun. i think that to get the young people to participate more in politics the older generations have to talk some sense in to them or just have some bigg change in politics that would tottaly kapture the young generation's eye. but what it would really make a difference, i have no clue...

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  134. I believe that young voters might come across the thought "my vote isn't going to make a big difference." and also young voters might not be very educated to vote. politicians need to go to the younger voters if they want their vote.
    (Bauer 1)

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  135. I believe that adults from the age of 18-25 choose not to vote simply because they don't know a thing about politics. Never in school do we really in depth learn about politics. Politics are something that we choose to learn on our own. People do not want to vote for something that they don't understand.

    Chris Woodard, Bauer, Period 3

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  136. i think people between the ages 18-25 do not vote because they are lazy and don't care. also i think some people do not know how to vote and some don't want to get involved in politics.

    Chris Long, Mr.Bauer, P.3

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  137. I think that younger people don't vote because most don't really care about politics as much as they should. I think 17 year olds being counted as half a vote may help the voting population but probably not by much.I feel that the younger generations feel left out but don't seem to try and do anything about it like voting.

    EJ Keller
    Per.4
    Mr. Sloan

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  138. Alejandro Ibarra ( P.1 Mr. Sloan)August 19, 2010 at 10:25 PM

    I believe that young voters dont vote as much because they dont see much of the political things appealing or and affect on them. Most 18 year olds dont care what happens because they see it as indifferent. By just showing them how much it really does affect them and making them feel important as well to the votes im sure more young people will vote.

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  139. Lets face it, young teens only care about living in the moment, partying, and just living the good life. Politics and voting involves thinking and effort, so most teens arent likely to take part in it.I believe the voing age is right because by 18 a teen is now legally involved with the government through taxes and being declared as a legal "adult".

    kirk kelly
    sloan

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  140. I believe that if young people were able to vote they wouldnt really actually research who there voting about or why, they would just be listining to there familys beliefs and what television says, not really what they actually believe in.

    Kayla O'Hara govt. sloan. per 5

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  141. I believe that young people frequently feel left out of the political system because they are inexperienced when it comes to the world of voting. Young people and even some adults are still uneducated in choosing political leaders or making community based decisions because they know little information about such subjects. Maybe if people were more aware, they'd vote more. I honestly have no idea why other industralized nations vote at a higher level then Americas, maybe because they are making simpler decisions? I don't know how I'd change the political system, I can't vote yet and even when I am able to, I wouldn't know where to begin...

    - Cierra Gonsalves, Mr. Bauer, Period 2

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  142. I think the reason people 18-25 don't vote is because they don't care and mostly because they don't understand politics. I think most kid believe 18-25 is their time to party and have fun.I think when a kid turns 18 he or she will cast their vote just because it a new thing and in the beginning it kind of makes you feel almost special but then when that feeling wears of they don't care. I think the only way you are going to get them to vote is to bring up issues that will affect them. I do believe people should have the right to vote but, i think they should have to pass a test to show that they understand the issues on which they are voting on.
    -Riley Sexton
    Mr. Sloan

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  143. I too have come to notice that the youth these days are very unaware of how much their opinions & voices count. Young people aren’t stimulated by the likes of politics these days, which is highly unfortunate. & once at the certain legal age of 18, one might just vote for the heck of it, just because they can. & until they truly realize that what they do, on that very day, ultimately changes the aspects of everyday life. The youth are generally focused on what pertains to them, in their own interest, not recognizing other political wages that are currently an ongoing controversy. & even if the law was altered, changing the voting age to 17 year olds, it wouldn’t affect their influence in politics. It’s unfortunate to realize that the insufficiency of the youth greatly impacts the economy as a whole, because with that vote, anything can change. One person could make a difference. & with the lack of interests in politics with young adults, it may lead to a politician being chosen for all the wrong reasons.

    Marcus Ellis
    Sloan, P/2
    AP Econ

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  144. Emily Geiszler, Bauer, Period 4August 19, 2010 at 11:06 PM

    After scrolling through and reading some of the comments people left, there seems to be a general consensus that young people don't vote because they don't feel important or nothing they would be voting for applies to them very much. If you think about it, there are thousands of young people who feel like their vote wouldn't matter. If every one of those people decided to give it a shot anyway and vote, they would all matter together. One vote might not make a difference, but thousands will. The reason that politicians have a target audience of older adults is because they know they would be wasting their time on trying to convince young people that something would be beneficial when they don't plan on voting anyway. If more young people aged 18-25 voted during this mid-term election, presidential candidates in the 2012 election will have to change their target demographic to a younger audience. If you want politicians to consider young people when creating new laws or modifying old ones, you have to make your voice known. In order for them to hear you, you have to speak out first. A possible way to get more young people to vote is to give them a negative incentive, like a fine or penalty for not voting.

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  145. 18-25yr olds dont vote because theyre not interested in voteing they dont have time,in their bussy life.They think that their votes dont matter so why vote ,but if many of them vote then maby they can make a change.

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  146. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  147. I believe that most young people don't vote i the ballots because they don't care. Most of these things we vote for... doesn't even matter, for example: the train thing. nobody cares about that. i guarentee you that a lot more 18-25 year olds will be voting this november though! they actually put up something that young kids care about, marijuana. i'm not trying to be funny or anything, but this actually might be a little important to us! honestly, i only believe obama apealled to so many people and young adults was because hes black. people want a change since this nation is so boring, plus a boost of the black community is gonna vote too! i think that letting 17 year olds vote is the stupidest thing ever. most 17 year olds can't even tell left from right! definitly no 17 year olds please. i doubt anything would promote more young adults to vote unless its something that actually care about... which they finally are donig this year. i always dont even think its hurting society too much and they are making way too big of a deal out of this cause quite franky nobody really cares that much about politics except a handful. Tori Tamura, period 1 mr sloan

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  148. Hannah Engebretsen'
    Bauer
    Period 2
    I think younger people are less likely to vote because they simply don't care about things like politics. I know that i am lazy and taking the time to fill out a form to vote and go spend time to vote would be something that i would do but not something now i feel is a priority. A lot of times young adults dont reconize politics as important in this part of their lifetime,and are focusing on other aspects of their life, like college and work.

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  149. The topics of politics has always been left to the "adults" of the country. Many times a child, teen, or even young adult (18-25) will try and place their thoughts or their questions inside the world of politics only to have them looked upon as nothing more than a waste of space. There are so many people into politics who say that they know so much more, and everyone else is wrong, and whatever else. It's these peple who also want to motivate the young to do something about our politics. Why care if all we ever get from people is "your too young to understand." or "you obviously dont understand the politics around this" or any other phrase telling the people of 18-25 yr old society that they dont know. If we dont know then how are we suppose to vote? We obviously "dont understand" so we give up because that is all we will ever get from the older society. We stop voting because we are told we are too young, and too naive to be placing our thoughts into a world "we dont understand." yea thanks older people... makes us feel reallly great about ourselves.

    Jojo M, Mr. Sloan, P.5

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  150. I feel that the reason young people usually feel left out of the political system is because they don't have the education to care. I believe if young people were taught more about politics that they'd be more inclined to vote. About the law that would give half a vote to 17 year olds, I think it might have helped the number of young people who voted, but most of the votes would be uneducated and wouldn't help America. I think it would be up to the candicate for President to get young voters excited about voting. President Obama used recources (such as twiiter and youtube) that related to young people in his campaign, which made the younger voters more excited to vote.

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  152. When people vote, they take it really seriously. I believe that teenagers aren't very interested in politics as much as adults are. Teenagers aren't ready to vote due to the fact that they may not be mature enough or they're just simply not ready.
    Isabel Asperas
    Sloan p.4

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  153. I believe people from the age 18 to 25 are not voting anymore, because it is not fun anymore. With the way are generation is today, if it is not popular or something that is cool to them, they simply don't vote. It is like the presidential elections. The cool thing to do was to vote for Obama because he was the first black president. It mostly did not matter what his ideas for the US were, young people had to vote for him because it was popular. You would see kids walking around in Obama shirts that were modified to look cool and up to date with latest fashions. Famous hip hop artists making songs about him. He was a fad that is now out of style, so why would they vote now? They have no reason to.
    -Michael Freeman

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  154. i believe that young people dont vote because they are simply too immersed in school ad their social lives. they dont understand that their votr is somethiong important and an obligation as an american. To appeal to the younger ages, one must simply talk about things that young people are interested in, or think is cool. For instance, if Obama said he would lower the ages on drinking to 17, smoking to 16, and sex to 14, and legalize marijuana, the younger people of this nation would certainly vote. It happened with prop 8 as well. MANY students voted because a lot of them believed that it shouldn't happen. An it didnt. Another reason i think Obama was elected is because of the fresh 18 year olds...He is the first black president, hey he looks like my favorite rap star, this shirt is cool because the name obama is split up down my shirt... It's sad really.
    -Sam White
    Mr. Sloan, 5th per.

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  155. Ryan thinks that people in the 18-25 age groups are not voting as much because they are dealing with school and other things and are not realing paying atention to what is going on in the politcal world.Ryan thinks that this would change polticans views on how to grab people by ingoreing the voters at this age or makeing incentives for this age group.Ryan thinks he will vote even though it wont count when he is in this age group because ryan is a good supporter of this government.

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  157. I think that there are more young people interested in politics than what most people think. If you grow up with your parents discussing politics with you, you are more likely to be involved and be interested in what is going on in your community and our country. If the kids who are old enough to vote, are encouraged by more of their peers who vote, to do so as well, we might see more voters in this age group.

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  158. I think that young people simply don't have the time to vote. They have to deal with school, finding and keeping a job, etc. Having your parents telling you how important politics are, there may be more people participating in political events. I don't really believe the law will change the amount of people voting that much. The scarcity of young voters impacts the behavior of the politics. To make it more appealing to a larger audience, you would have to maybe have popular actors and stars encouraging people to vote. ---Kevin Rodgers Period 2 Mr. Sloan

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  159. I feel that most young people are responsible enough to educate themselves on what's being voted for. I believe they would feel more involved in politics if they felt it related more to them. AT age 18 most teens are still living with their parents or just recently moved out and they haven't experienced the results of voting firsthand, so they don't see how important their vote is.

    Kayla Smith
    Sloan
    p.2

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  160. A politician's job is to make decisions based on what the citizens, the people who voted him into office, want. He is supposed to represent the masses. How can young people be represented if they do not vote? Young people need to step up and vote because it is an easy way to make sure their voices are heard.

    Kassie Lizama
    Sloan
    p2

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  161. Faye roberson, Bauer, period 5August 20, 2010 at 6:56 PM

    I believe that young people dont vote because they dont take the time to go out and find whats going on politicaly. Most are to comfortable with their life how it used to be when they were young and it wasnt a priority to vote because the couldnt.

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  162. i think people that are from 18-25 dont vote because they really dont know about politics that much. Young people are always busy with their own lifestyle and school. So overall i think it is a right decision that young teenagers cant be joined in politics.

    Jaskiran Kaur
    Mr. Bauer
    Period 2

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  163. I believe that young adults (18-25) dont vote because they probably dont know what they are voting for. They might not understand what the presidents will do and maybe they don't want to contribute to America's presidency. They would rather do their own stuff.

    Blake Harrison
    Bauer
    Period 4

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  164. I believe that people under the age of 18 are not mature enough yet to vote. Rarely you will hear that a kid has watched the news the night before. Most kids aren't interested in news or politics so how can we rely on them to vote? i think the voting age is a perfect age to vote. Turning 18 means you're technically an adult. you just cant drink yet lol

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  165. I don't think many teenagers care about politics because i don't. the reason why is because i doesn't affect in any way. I do think they do have the age right because at that age people are more responsible.

    Luis Anguiano
    Mr. Bauer
    Period 2

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  166. I think that young people don't get involved in politics because they are too young and immature to really understand the full concept of an issue. They want what they want and can't really focus on anything else, not the other side or what's really better for the whole economy, just what they want. The politicians don't get involved with them because they really don't care because they think they can't make a difference. They're just starting out in the real world. They don't waste their time with them when they won't care or do anything about it. They want to deal with serious people.

    Samantha Barragan
    Bauer
    pd. 3

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  167. I believe that young people don't take much interest in politics until they are of older age. If younger people did, however, then politicians would have to meet the demands of that age group as well as all other citizens. I’m sure this age group feels as if they don’t have a big enough voice in politics, but if more young people started voting, then their voices will be heard.

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  168. Cristian Garcia/ period 3 BauerAugust 20, 2010 at 11:18 PM

    Young voters don't vote because there is nothing in it for them. young people think there is no reason to vote because things wont change and the U.S. will stay the same. But what people don't realize is that if all young people vote they can change game. We as young people can change the game.

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  169. I think that many young voters avoid the polls, as previously stated, because they are unsure about the issues at hand, and do not feel informed enough to make a correct decision, and hope that the rest of the nation will make the right choice for them.
    And the response is that we should educate ourselves so that we can participate, using the many available resources around us, but I think that most young people simply do not care enough to spend the time to look into it further. For instance, I've been telling myself for ages that I should become more knowledgeable about politics in preparation to vote this November, but I can find little motivation within myself to do so.

    Sasha Schotzko-Harris
    Bauer
    Period 1

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  170. I think young people don't vote because they honestly don't want to. Many young adults are apathetic to the political changes of the country, unless it affects them directly. Take the proposition 8 issue: as it was headlining news, everybody had an opinion. But ask many young adults who's challenging Barbara Boxer in the upcoming midterms; do they know that it's Carly Fiorina? And do they know what political party she's associated with?

    Another culprit as of late is low morale for the current political climate. On January 1, 2009, President Obama had a 44% "strongly approve" rating, according to Rasmussen Reports. Today, he sits at a 25% "strongly approve" and a 45% "strongly disapprove" rating. (Line here: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/obama_approval_index_history ). The Sac Bee recently ran an article stating that only about 30% of registered democrats are "very excited" to vote, while about 50% of registered republicans are also "very excited" to vote. As the 18-25 demographic tends to vote democrat, it's understandable that they're not going to vote in these elections, especially if they don't feel they're making a difference. What happened to the big hoopla before election day where people were campainging like crazy for the good things they were going to do? All that you see these days is politicians spending millions of dollars on campaigns focused solely on making their opponents look inadequate and wrong for the job. Do we know anything about the qualities of the specific candidates that way? Should we even vote on people just because we don't like what they're saying about the other guy? Maybe if campaigning weren't such an ugly process, the younger set would be more eager to vote. But how easy is it to spell out a whole new strategy in a 15-second spot when it's just easier to trash-talk your opponent. Personally, I'd love 1/2 of a vote; but I don't know anyone else who'd be as enthusiastic as me. Perhaps when our candidates are better and Americans aren't quite as pessimistic about politics, young people will flex their massive power.

    --Emily Dirksen
    Bauer
    AP Gov
    21 Aug 2010

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  171. Nathalie Trevino; A. Bauer period1August 21, 2010 at 7:49 PM

    I honestly believe young people don't vote because of apathy, and how difficult it is to get accurate information on certain issues. Because so many of us are so "lazy" we don't even make the effort to seek out information that would enable us to make an educated vote.

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  172. I think that young people dont wote because many of the situations that are being voted on dont concern them, and why woulg they vote for something that they dont know about or that doesnt affect them. If there is more for youths to vote about many would go out and make a big difference in numbers. However, amny young people are in college and trying to start their life and are very busy and dont have time to consider about all the options to vote on, and may feel like they shouldnt vote because they dont know enough about the subject. they dont want to make a mistake on their ballot because of not enough information.
    Natalie Nunez
    bauer
    1st period

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  173. Young people frequently feel left out of the political system beacuse they may be highly lured into thinking that they're are too young. People make their choices, but sometimes do not belive we have not matured enough. I dont think that giving a 17 year old half a vote would be a good idea because at that age they may still not be prepared to vote.I think that citizens in other industrialized nations vote at higher levels that Americans beccause they may recieve something in exchange. Here in the U.S people have to register, and go through the whole process.The current political system seems to promise change, but it does not happen. Young voters get discouraged from that. There is a limited amount of young voters, and this impacts how politicians behave. Some politicians miss out on the knowlege and ideas of young people. The opportunity cost of not voting is getting a president people do not want.

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  174. I have never found politics interesting. I think that young voters don't vote because they don't understand politics and is boring. Most of the young students are not mature.
    Stephanie Arredondo
    Mr.sloan

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  175. I think that young people act immature in politic cases. Many changes have been promised and few have been made and young people feel left out thinking their vote doesn't count.

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  176. If you think about it, the campaigners are not using complete efficiency in their resources because of all the "untapped reserves" of non-voting young adults. It would be wise to target them specifically in a campaign. Changing the voting age to seventeen would not help, because students at this age will be even less interested in politics than they woulda year from now.

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  177. I think that most teens don't vote because they don't really care about politics. It's a sort of "If it's meant to happen it will" type mentality. If it's not that then perhaps it's laziness, we teens are notorious for putting a comfy couch over standing at a poll. The final option I think it could be is just knowing that they are under informed and fear making the wrong decision.

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  178. Jacob Farrar / Bauer / P.4
    Sorry for my late commet, i have been really busy these last few days. i would juts like to say that many young pleople dont vote becuse it is not appiling to us. Today, many people in Americal only want to do things that benifit themselfs and i really dont see young people benifiting off of that. there is no insenteve and it just seems ussless. i myself may turn out to vote but i dont think i will be voting for along time.

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  179. Sorry for my late commet, i have been really busy these last few days. i would juts like to say that many young pleople dont vote becuse it is not appiling to us. Today, many people in Americal only want to do things that benifit themselfs and i really dont see young people benifiting off of that. there is no insenteve and it just seems ussless. i myself may turn out to vote but i dont think i will be voting for along time.

    Jacob Farrar Bauer 4th

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  180. I THINK MOST TEENS DONT VOTE BECAUSE THEY DONT REALY CARE. THEY SOMETIMES ACT VERY INMATURE AND DONT NO WHATS GOOD FOR THEM. BT THEY SHOULD VOTE.

    MR. BAUER P.2

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  181. I think that most people aren't voting because they think "My vote wont make a difference so why should I waste my time?". It's hard to imagine 1 vote making the difference in an election, but when millions of people think like this it makes a huge difference.

    Anthony Garcia
    Period 5
    Mr sloan

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  182. i think that young people should not vote because most of the many people really don't care because they know right now it has no importance to them.

    ricardo villalpando pr.5 sloan

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  183. Changing the voting age down to six months younger makes no sence. The point about being 18 is that you have become an adult. Besides, this might make a difference but for the worst. All in all, people that do not want to vote, won't.

    -Victoria Turney
    Bauer 1

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  184. Jana Hackett
    Mr. Bauer

    In my opinion, most of the young citizens of the US aren't interested in the participation of voting because they don't know who is running or just doesn't care who wins. What they don't understand is that every vote really does matter.

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  185. I think that adults between the age 18-25 don't vote because there still unsure about the whole government thing but they should vote. Many young adults can't wait to vote once there 18 so people between the age of 18-25 should vote more be apart of the system

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  186. Young people are seldom the focus of presidential campaigns and they are not being informed of the issues and the importance of voting. Some may believe they don't understand politics enough to cast a proper vote. "Fifty-one percent of 18-24 year olds voted in 1972 and in 2000 that number fell by 13 percent.According to CIRCLE, they don’t vote because campaigns feel that they should not waste resources targeting young voters."
    A person may be a legal adult at 18, however it does not mean they are ready to make adult choices.

    Gabby Cello
    p.3
    Mr. Sloan

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  187. I feel as if it is unessasary for under 18 to vote. We dont understand nor follow politics as much as we would need to if we were to beable to vote.

    Amanda Hommond
    Sloan period 1

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  188. Caleb J. Newman
    If marijuana is already against the law, why is it being considered at all? Who should decide to issue this law? I am leaning on the state. If CA outlaws marijuana it would finally outlaw something worth outlawing. I am leaning toward the state because the state already outlaws specific items that are not outlawed in the country. Is that right? I am not sure. Where ever it does happen, i will be sure to put my vote against it.

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  189. Steven Reichmuth, Bauer, period 2September 12, 2010 at 3:32 PM

    I believe that young people do not vote simply because they don't care. Most people in their late teens and early 20's are too busy getting their education and enjoying the last bit of no responsiblities in their lives. I don't really care much about politics, I view them as something older people like to discuss and argue about amongst each other. And all that talking and debating never accomplishs anything for them by the time they are done, nothing changed.

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  190. I think young adults and teens don’t vote because they either don’t know what’s going on or they just don’t think it’s really important because they are still young and can be careless or they just don’t have the time for it.
    Aniscia Silva. Sloan. Per 5.

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  191. I think that people who are between 18-25 don't vote because most of them arn't into politics until they get older

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  192. i think that people that age dont vote because there still pretty young and dont look at political that much. they rather be partying or with friends other that voting or caring bout pilitics. and it shows the economical side that around that age gropu, they usually dont care

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  193. Vicente Chavez
    Sloan per 5th
    I do not think that 17 year old would make a change in the votes because many teens are not really interested in politics and they do not pay attention to this and it would take a lot for teens to get to know and understand the worl of politics. So I think that teens would not really make a change in the votes if they were able to vote at that age.

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  194. I believe that most young voters do not understand that their vote actually matters. Many people look at it as their one vote isn't very significant. That it isn't worth their time to vote that there are so many others voting one vote wont make a difference. One way that may help increase the number of younger voters that turn out should be more movements to help them feel like it will actually make an impact or advertise to the younger crowd more
    Spencer Pellandini
    Sloan
    P.1

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  195. enrique salazar sloanper5December 15, 2010 at 3:19 PM

    i think teenagers dont vote because they dont care about politics because the media doesnt target them when it comes to politics.

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