Sunday, August 31, 2014

For the first time in our country's history, millennials have become the largest voting bloc in the United States. However, they do not flex their muscle at the voting booths and nowhere is this truer than suburbs such as Nassau County. What explanation is there for the lack of interest by the millennials for the voting process? How can this population be mobilized to take an interest in themselves as candidates, for the politicians that are currently in office or the civic groups that are founded in their communities?

As the opinion piece from the Chicago Tribune below explains, millennials don't vote for several reasons. The author makes the point that the technology to register to vote (usually done by mail) and to cast a vote is outdated, and it is technology that millennials cannot relate to. In addition, the main parties generally do not encourage millennials to vote. New York state, where Nassau county is located, requires people to be registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote in primary elections. This requirement could be a turn-off to many young voters, who, for example, might not want to be affiliated with a major party.
To encourage millennials to vote, the technology required to cast a vote could be friendlier to them (for example, it could allow them to register to vote online). In addition, there needs to be better campaigns to mobilize them to vote, perhaps using celebrities that appeal to millennials.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-voters-millennials-nonvoters-porn-joe-biden-voter-turnout-1105-story.html

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