Activities Voting & Youth Citizenship 1. Read the article Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote. Make a timeline of the significant events in young people’s voting history; include all of the significant statistics you can find for young people’s participation in national elections. As a class, think of the other political and social events that were occurring around the dates on your timeline. Brainstorm social factors that could affect youth voting other than those mentioned in the article. 2. Look at the Federal Election Commission’s statistics for voter turnout by age. Look especially at the years there was a presidential election (1996, 1992, . . .). What do you notice when you compare all of the age groups? Which group always has the highest voter turnout? Brainstorm reasons why this age group might be more motivated to vote than others. Organize a class debate. One side will argue that we are facing a future crisis because the youngest voters aren’t taking part in the political process. The other side will argue that voters of all ages are becoming less interested in the political process, and that young people might actually be more civic-minded than their older counterparts. 3. According to Project Vote Smart, young voters (ages 18-25) are most concerned about jobs and the economy, education, and crime. Using the Candidates’ Statements Search, which of the candidates should be most appealing to young voters? Do you favor the same issues? Search an issue to see which candidates’ views are most sympathetic to yours. What do you think about voting for a candidate based on his/her stand on a single issue? 4. Read the opinions of college students, interviewed by PBS in NewsHour Online, talking about government and society. Do they seem to be well-informed? What issues specifically do they care about? Interview some college or community college students in your area. What are the issues that they care about? Do they vote? >>Brush Up on Your Voting Smarts >>Voting & Youth Citizenship >>Voter Registration >>Campaign Reform Conversation | Voting | *Activities* | Resources Online Conversations | Law, Diversity, and the Vote