Students prepare to cast a ballot with their newly acquired right to participate in elections

By Nina Underman
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On Nov. 2, Indiana citizens will head to the polls to vote in the 2010 general election. This election has special meaning for senior Kiernan McGeehan because it will be his first time casting a ballot. “I am excited to be able to participate in an actual election for the first time,” McGeehan said.

He is not alone. According to a 2008 Pew Research Center study, the number of youth voters is on the rise. U.S. Census Bureau data shows youth played a crucial role in electing Barack Obama as president in 2008. In fact, the study reported President Obama would have lost the state of Indiana during the 2008 election had it not been for the support of young voters. Nationally, the youth vote made up 18 percent of total voters in 2008, up from previous years.

In Indiana, youth who will be 18 by the election date are eligible to vote. AP Government teacher Joe Stuelpe said government teachers at this school encourage eligible youth to vote by providing registration forms to students. According to Stuelpe, voters must be registered 30 days before the election occurs. Registration began in May.

McGeehan said he is voting because he wants to participate in the democratic process. “I will be voting because I think it’s important to have a say in who is running what in your community,” he said. “I think it’s especially important for younger people to vote because we are a huge population. Plus, it’s the first year that I am able to actually vote and I want to be involved.”

However, senior Ellyn Hessong has different plans for Nov. 2. Hessong said, even though she is eligible, she does not plan to cast a vote in the general election.

“I don’t think my vote will matter and I don’t even know what these people will do if they are elected, so I choose just not to vote at all,” she said. “I don’t like when people argue about politics or politics in general. Not many laws that have been made recently have impacted my life directly.”

Despite sentiments like Hessong’s, Stuelpe said he believes youth voting is important. “You should want to have a say,” he said. “Even though it might not obviously affect you, it does.”

“A lot of teens may think that voting, especially in the mid-term elections, is not important,” Stuelpe said. “However you could argue that mid-term elections actually have the most effect on you because you are electing representatives to serve your state and local community.”

According to Stuelpe, the voter turnout for the 2010 election will be lower than in 2008, a statement also proven by research and poll data. According to a Project Vote report based off U.S. Census Bureau data, voter turnout in mid-term elections has averaged 15 percent lower than the previous presidential elections for the past seven election cycles. Additionally, there is a greater decline in voting between presidential and mid-term elections for youth voters than there is for the general population.

For her part, Hessong said she does not think this election is as important as a presidential election. “I don’t think it’s as big of a deal because we’re electing representatives and senators, which to me isn’t as big as the president.”

McGeehan said he agrees the mid-term election is less exciting than a presidential election, but it is still equally as important.

Overall, though, he said he is merely excited to cast his ballot. “I honestly am just excited about voting for the first time,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me that this is not a presidential election. It’s important to choose your leaders, no matter what level. If you’re complaining about who’s in office and you didn’t vote, then it’s worthless. Why are you complaining?”