Youth call for political involvement

November 5, 2009 by Pashtana Usufzy 

Student leaders and political organizations discuss past, future of young people

Young voters across the nation turned out to the polls Nov. 4, 2008, overwhelmingly in support of now-president Barack Obama.
Fast forward to Nov.3, 2009.

Youth organizations and special interest groups discussed issues ranging from health care to immigration Tuesday during a telephone conference intended to bring greater attention to youth political involvement.

Groups including Rock the Vote, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs and the United States Student Association joined in the conversation, discussing matters of national debate and encouraging college-age students to become more involved in the political process.

“It’s one year later and we’ve still got a ways to go,” said Ari Matusiak, co-founder of the Y.I. Want Change Coalition. The telephone conference with members of the media, hosted by Rock the Vote and Campus Progress, evaluated the Obama presidency and participants fielded questions about different education-related issues including students loans and financial aid.

“Progress on some issues has been pretty clear while on others it has been nonexistent,” said United States Student Association representative Lindsay McCluskey, adding that she believes the Obama administration deserves praise for some of its efforts in terms of expanding access to higher education.

Issues like veterans’ rights and the battle over illegal immigration also comprised part of the discussion. Organization representatives said they would post their judgment on the conversation “Twitter style.”

Matusiak said during the call that issues such as health care should be decided with the input of young people because “we’re disproportionately [affected] by our broken health care system.”

“This crisis is our crisis,” he said.

Participants said national issues are a focus of students and politicians who ignore young voters risk alienating those who, they say, helped lead Obama to victory.

“Young people showed up in record numbers…[They] made headlines with an unprecedented call for change,” said Rock the Vote executive director Heather Smith.

One representative called the issue of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act “one of the civil rights [battles] of our generation.” Another student said the progress toward acknowledging homosexuals within the military will only come with a loud cry of support from student to their representatives.

All the speakers made it clear that they believed student voters made an impact in the 2008 presidential election and could substantially impact future elections, if encouraged to. Smith said that, although primary elections do not have nearly the draw that presidential ones do, young voters are informed enough to vote if politicians would encourage them to do so.

“Young people will respond and turn out when asked,” Smith said, “but you have to do the asking.”