Politics and Youth Engagement
Politics plays a vital role in all facets of development. Politics, on the other hand, is marked by the displacement of such classes, such as women and youngsters. This emphasizes the central theme of this article, which is to include an investigation into the reasons why youths are disinterested in political activity as well as appropriate measures to increase their levels of involvement in democratic processes.
Trends in Youth Voting
Russell Dalton's study in The Washington Post on voting trends among millennials showed a growing imbalance in political engagement between youths and elders since 2014. (Dalton, 2016). Several states have passed anti-youth legislation. North Carolina, for instance, abolished early registration for the individuals yet to attain eighteen years old; in Texas and Tennessee, voting using a student's identification card was forbidden. Disillusionment with the previous government discourages the young people from voting or participating in politics (Pilkington, 2014). Moreover, some feel that the votes of the youths are not significant to cause any change.
Boosting Youths' Interests
Existing stringent regulations against the voting age and documents to use for those yet to attain eighteen years old should be revised and applicable laws repealed (Pilkington, 2014). Changing the priority of leadership to that which focuses on serving the population's interests is fundamental to avoid disillusionment. There is a need to encourage voters' registration through social media, physical visits to the schools or using electronic forms such as the internet.
I would create the interest through lobbying with various agencies that emphasize the importance of involving young people in politics and voting. The organization of mock elections would help the young people have the experience and note that the voting process is not as hard as some perceive the exercise to be.
References
Dalton, R. (March 22, 2016). Why don’t millennials vote? Retrieved on June 18, 2017 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/22/why-dont-millennials-vote
Pilkington, E. (2014). Low youth voter turnout in midterms has parties pondering new ways to engage. Retrieved on June 17, 2017 from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/05/midterms-youth-vote-drops-republicans-democrats
