Elizabeth502's blog: "My rants"

Before you vote for the president/vice president of the U.S. on November 4th this year, please take the time to actually learn each candidates' stance on issues important to you.

If you go to OnTheIssues, you can look at both national and local candidates and what they have to say about topics such as Foreign Policy, Gun Control, Budget & Economy, Education, Homeland Security, Crime, Government Reform, Health Care, War & Peace, Drugs, Tax Reform, Abortion, Free Trade, Civil Rights, Social Security, Families & Children, Immigration, Jobs, Welfare & Poverty, Corporations, Energy & Oil, Environment, Technology & Infrastructure, and Principles & Values. OnTheIssues mission is to provide non-partisan information for voters in the Presidential election, so that votes can be based on issues rather than on personalities and popularity.

The reason I posted this on my blog is because I'm tired of hearing people in my age group say that they don't care about politics or that they'll vote for whoever their parents vote for (even if that person doesn't believe the same as the candidate). If you think politics doesn't affect you, think again. Political decisions made today will affect our future. And it definitely affects our present.

I found this on the Frequency 2004: Youth Vote Research Inventory website:

The National Association of Secretaries of State gives five reasons for why young adults are not engaged in traditional politics:

1. Parents, as displayed by the overall decline in voting among all age groups, are not voting and thus, parental influence on youth regarding voting has also declined.
2. There is very little youth-oriented political communication from politicians.
3. Aspects of the political process such as voter registration, absentee votes, etc. can be confusing or simply unknown to youth.
4. Youth believe their interests and those of politicians are incompatible and that politicians are motivated by selfish reasons (such as money).
5. Many young adults view the process as flawed and do not want to take part in it.

Other factors (among many) include the beliefs that politics rarely achieve any results and that the results of elections will have negligible impact on youth, and a simple lack of political knowledge (candidates, issues, etc.).

If OnTheIssues isn't enough, check out RockTheVote. You can register to vote online (if you aren't already registered) and RockTheVote has the tools to help you identify, learn about, and take action on the issues that affect your lives.

Politics doesn't begin and end on one day every four years. It's about being a part of your community, dealing with issues both local and global, empowering yourself and caring about the future. (Farai Chideya, In These Times, November 18, 2004)

So I urge each one of you to be aware of what's going on in the world and what's happening in your own backyard. Don't just vote based on anything else BUT the issues. But do vote because it DOES affect you. So on November 4th, please remember to claim your voice and make it heard!