In particular, many praised the improved attendance among young voters (typically described as voters 18-29 years old), as nearly five million more members of this demographic voted in 2004 than in 2000. The increase was widely interpreted as the result of drastic efforts nationwide to register college students and encourage them to vote on Election Day.
Unfortunately, the reality of the 2004 election is that while the number of youthful voters increased, so did that of other age groups, leaving the number of voters 18-29 years old as a proportion of total voters roughly equal to that of 2000. Furthermore, the seemingly impressive improvement belies the fact that young voters remain the only age group that votes less than 50 percent of the time.
Hence, even though on absolute terms youth voter turnout looks to be on the upswing, voting activists still need to maintain their efforts. However, with midterm elections six weeks away, the groups that so diligently encouraged youths to vote in 2004 are mostly silent. Advertisements from MTV's "Rock the Vote" aren't on television hourly, and here at the College the student groups that ran door-to-door registration campaigns two years ago aren't making the same rounds this fall. Of course, midterm elections don't have the sex appeal of presidential elections, but in a year that control of Congress is at stake, there are plenty of reasons for Americans to get out and vote. For most students at the College, however, the act of voting is complicated by the fact that most cannot be present at home for Election Day. Luckily, absentee voting in most states is not only a simple process, it actually requires less effort than traditional voting.
Closer to home, the year's first Amherst Association of Students (AAS) elections take place this week. The AAS has eliminated the hassles of traditional voting by holding all elections online, yet AAS voter turnouts still rival national elections for low yield. Last spring's presidential run-off, for example, garnered a mere 478 votes. Not voting in an AAS election can't be about effort-casting a ballot simply requires a few clicks of a mouse-so why do so few people do it?
Amid all the gloomy statistics, there is a ray of hope. Studies show that college students who are contacted by a friend, family member or campaign are more likely to register and vote. So we strongly urge the student body to consider these friendly words of advice: if you're not registered to vote, get online and do it; and if you're already registered, apply for an absentee ballot before it's too late.