A four-letter word
Young adults in southeast PA don’t always V-O-T-E

by Joseph Simek
Philly EDGE Correspondent 

         Do you care?
         By this time next week, we’ll know.
          With thoughts of the last presidential election and echoes of “vote or die!” still lingering in the back of our minds, a still divided country finds itself again headed to the polls on Tuesday (Nov. 7). In Southeastern Pennsylvania, it seems every race is close, so attention has turned to that all-important statistic -- voter turnout.
 If you’re under 30 years old, you’ve more than likely had every organization from Music For America to MoveOn.org trying to convince you to “rock the vote.”
            But is the youth of America planning on voting this time around?
 “The short answer is that the under-30 demographic has low turnout in presidential years, and even lower in off years like this one,” Diana Mutz, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania says.
 In fact, according to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Leaning and Engagement (CIRCLE), only 22 percent of young adults voted in the last midterm election in 2002. Compared to other age groups, it gets even uglier, with older voters being three times more likely to vote in most elections.
 However, all is not lost. If you look at the election in 2004, there are signs of life among youth voters. CIRCLE reports that voter turnout for those under the age of 30 increased from 42.3 percent in 2000 to 51.6 percent in 2004. Turnout in battleground states like Pennsylvania increased over 13 percent.
 “We did see a lot of first-time voters in 2004, many of them were young voters,” says Berwood Yost, Director of The Center for Opinion Research and The Floyd Institute for Public Policy at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster. “Young voters brought themselves up where their turnout wasn’t so unbalanced compared to other age groups.”
 Some think there is a chance that more young voters will step into voting booths this year than past midterm elections.
 “The young voters really gave (Sen. John) Kerry (D-Mass.) a large margin (in 2004),” says Yost. “That would suggest to me that you had more young people coming out to vote for Democrats. If that kind of enthusiasm is sustained and democratic turnout is as high as we suspect, that may mean more young voters.”
 However, judging by the responses of some average young citizens in local bars and coffee shops and on suburban street corners, a continuing increase in voter turnout for this demographic is probably not going to happen.             
            Even if young voters are not sure they will vote this year, most are positive their peers will not.
 “The youth doesn’t vote because they have a perception that they don’t have an affect, that one vote does not count for much, and that lobbying and other pressures trump everything else,” says Ben, a technology director from Chalfont.
 Others were not so nice, calling their peers “lazy,” “apathetic” and even “ignorant.”
          “No one I know is politically active,” says Valerie, a designer from Doylestown.
 Although in the past Christine, a 27-year-old single mother, has protested at the Democratic National Convention and even registered voters herself, she says she won’t vote this year.
  “At this point, the lesser of two evils won’t do us any good.” Instead, Christine says she prefers to vote with her dollar, “Tonight, I’m at a local pub and not a corporate chain.”
 For Liora, a 20-year-old student who plans on voting, she says the reason her peers don’t vote has more to do with a lack of interest in politics, than a lack of confidence in the system.
 “There is a percentage of us that are living responsible lives,” she says, “but most are out partying and having a good time. They’re not worrying about their future; they’re just living for the present.”
 And then there are those potential voters like Chris, an assistant retail manager from New Hope: “The thought process is there,” he says, “it just depends on what I’m doing that day.”
 Despite the history of low turnout and continuing sentiment that their vote doesn’t count, it appears the under-30 crowd still cares about the issues -- many of which have carried over from the 2004 election.
          Ask them what the number one issue is facing the country and chances are you’ll get a four-letter word in response -- “Iraq.”
 It’s the wars in the Middle East and issues of terrorism that drove many young people to vote in the last presidential election. According to Yost, Iraq mattered more to this demographic than to any other age group.
 “I don’t want to overstate it, but it was one of their top issues,” Yost says, “but so were other issues: taxes, education, economy, jobs, moral values. They were slightly more likely to talk about Iraq and terrorism, but it wasn’t like these other issues didn’t matter.”
 There are certainly other issues on the minds of some of our interviewees, from a statewide smoking ban, to the environment, to the opinion of the United States in other parts of the world. And with an end to the war nowhere in sight, some think it is time to concentrate on those other questions. 
 “Global warming is an issue that hasn’t been exhausted. It’s new enough that something can be done about it. As far as the war in Iraq, that vote sailed,” Chris says.
 “Another important issue is same-sex marriages,” Liora says, explaining that two of her friends just had a commitment ceremony. “I think it’s wrong they can’t get married.”
 Still, Yost maintains “major voting issues like Iraq and satisfaction with Congress and (President Bush)” drives most voters. Even if young people do have strong feelings on other issues, both Democrats and Republicans probably aren’t listening that closely. Instead, Yost says, the parties are spending their money and time on other age groups.
 “There has been a lot of spending on the campaigns in the southeast and that makes people pay attention and gets them out to vote,” he says. “The parties try to court voters who are likely to vote and unfortunately that often times leaves out young voters.”
 So, until the country’s youth start heading to the polls more frequently, their voices will fall on deaf ears. That is according to Dave, a 28-year-old advertising manager, who says he usually tries to vote.
 “I think everyone is ready for a change from the puppets in government, but you don’t have the right to talk if you don’t vote.”

5 reasons to
VOTE

United States Senator- PA.

The Candidates:
Rick Santorum (R) – Incumbent
Bob Casey Jr. (D) – State Treasurer, Ex-Auditor General, Attorney

The Issue: The War in Iraq
Unsurprisingly, Iraq has been the “hot button” issue dominating most of the races nationwide. This race is no different. Surprisingly, Santorum and Casey’s views on the war don’t vary widely. Both think the U.S. needs to keep a presence in the country and not set a timeline for troop withdrawal.
While Santorum has supported most of the Bush administration’s moves in Iraq, Casey has questioned the administration’s leadership, including calling for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation.

What They Said:
“We need to go out there and continue to fight this war on Islamic fascism. Not just, as my opponent likes to focus on, just the war in Iraq. That’s a front of a multi-front war in which we’re fighting against an enemy that’s a very dangerous enemy.” – Santorum (MSNBC)

“I’m not ready to abandon this mission; I think a lot of Americans are not, either. What has to happen in Iraq is what you’ve not seen. We need new leadership. We don’t need a deadline—a timeline; we need new leadership.” – Casey (MSNBC)

“Our opinion doesn’t matter, because Bush will do whatever he wants anyway.” -- Ryan, maintenance technician, Warrington

Governor of Pennsylvania

The Candidates:
Ed Rendell (D) – Incumbent
Lynn Swann (R) – Retired NFL player and President's Council on Physical Fitness Chair

The Issue: Smoking bans
Philadelphia residents know firsthand what a city smoking ban looks like, but the issue of a statewide ban is still up in the air. Both of these candidates are in favor of a ban, but differ on how expansive it should be. While Rendell has seemed to favor a broad regulation including workplaces, Swann has said that restaurant and bar owners should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to allow smoking in their establishments.

What They Said:
“I know a lot of the legislators here believe that (smoking bans) should be done on a local basis...but I believe a statewide ban would be good, and I’d be willing to sign it,” – Rendell (Scranton Times-Tribune)

"You can't hire people based on whether they smoke or don't smoke. It's an environment that people who choose not to smoke can't control necessarily, so smoking in the workplace, I think, is something that we can legislate against." – Swann (AP)

“Personally, I like it because I don’t smoke. But this place went to no smoking and had to change back because no one was coming in. If every bar was on the same level, it would be okay because people still drink.” – Dave, part-time bartender, Doylestown

United States Representative (District 8)

The Candidates:
Mike Fitzpatrick (R) – Incumbent
Patrick Murphy (D) – Attorney and Iraq War veteran

The Issue: Online freedom
Earlier this year, Fitzpatrick introduced the Deleting Online Predators Act, which would require schools and libraries to install screening software to block children from viewing social networking sites like MySpace.com or Facebook.com. Murphy originally called the act a “political stunt,” but later said he would have voted for it were he in Congress. Murphy’s own plan calls for prohibiting Internet access to any person convicted of using a computer to commit a sex crime, as well as increased funding for law enforcement.

What They Said:
“As a parent, I am encouraged to see News Corp. (MySpace.com's parent company) take steps to protect children, but the fact remains children unattended on the Internet, engaged in conversations with adults in chat rooms, and on social networking sites are setting themselves up for victimization.” – Fitzpatrick (Bucks County Courier Times)

“Democrats and Republicans both agree that this is an issue that needs to be addressed, but Fitzpatrick’s bill doesn’t do nearly enough to protect our children” – Murphy (Bucks County Courier Times)

“How do you regulate without putting most of those (sites) out of business?” – Whitney, student, New Jersey

United States Representative (District 7)

The Candidates:
Curt Weldon (R) – Incumbent
Joe Sestak (D) – Retired Navy Admiral and Ex-Deputy Chief of Naval Operations

The Issue: Control of Congress
With early polls showing Democrats in control of many of the national races for Congress, 2006 is shaping up to be a reversal of the 1994 election, when Republicans gained back control of the both the House and the Senate while President Clinton was in office. Races in battleground states, like this one between Weldon and Sestak, have been watched closely by both parties, each funneling large sums of money to try to tip the balance.
Either way, what happens this November will have a huge impact on the Bush administration’s last two years, as well as on how presidential candidates campaign in 2008.

What They Said:
"It's not easy to fight the government, but you know what; I do it every day. You'll have the toughest fighter in America when I'm on your side." – Weldon (AP)

“We recognized in the military that the health of our individuals in body, and in mind by education, is key to our national security. People are our national treasure, and this Congress has eroded that security by their policies." – Sestak (AP)

“Why am I voting? I’m not happy with the dominance of the Republicans in government.” – Ben, Director Of Technology, Chalfont

Philadelphia Mayoral Primaries:

The Candidates:
Although it will be a highly contested race in 2007, the Philadelphia mayoral primaries have taken a back seat to all these other races. So much so, most people don’t even know the names of any of the candidates hoping to get on next year’s ballot -- and there are a ton of them. State Representative Dwight Evans, former Councilman Michael A. Nutter, union leader John Dougherty, City Controller Jonathan Saidel, U.S. Representative Bob Brady, and businessman Tom Knox are all in the running for the Democratic nomination.
As far as Republicans go, a few candidates have showed interest: State Boxing Commissioner George Bochetto, City Councilman Frank L. Rizzo, Jr. and lawyer Carl E. Singley.

The Issue:
What issues will be on the minds of Philly voters come 2007?
The safe bet is violence and crime. 2006 has seen a sharp rise in the number of homicides in the city and residents have taken notice. A Keystone Poll in July found that 64 percent of people polled put that issue at the top of their list.
Gaming in the city will also be a hot topic as the city is in the process of approving two casinos to be built. In 2004, the Pennsylvania State legislature legalized slots gambling, hoping the revenue would provide statewide property tax relief.