By Project Younthanize
special to the daily cardinal
It's Nov. 4, 2008, and history is upon us. Today, Americans will gather by the millions to decide who will be granted the opportunity to serve as the next leader of our country and charged with the responsibility of protecting our interests and representing our values to the world community. Today, Americans across the country will partake in one of our nation's most cherished civil exercises and name the next president of the United States. Today, Americans will once again make history.
We at Project Youthanize urge young people in Madison and across the country to become a part of this process by exercising their right to vote. This year's election has obvious historical implications - after today, we will have our first African-American president or our first female vice president. The job they do once elected will in turn affect our country for years to come. Whomever takes office will determine how we manage two ongoing wars abroad, reawaken a weakened economy, tackle the climate and energy crises and stabilize social security and health care. Surely, this election is important. But what may not be so obvious is that this election is also of particular importance to the Millennial Generation. Today, we will determine whether or not the youth of America is ready to accept its position as a powerful and influential voting bloc.
Like so many other groups, young people as a demographic have great power in determining the outcome of any given election. The only difference between ourselves and others, though, is that we have yet to fully unleash that power. If we turn out to vote today in the numbers we are capable of, we will assert ourselves as a voting bloc worthy of political recognition and give voice to the youth of America for generations to come.
Some of us may feel that our votes don't count, that in the multitude of American voters, one vote doesn't matter. Others might believe that once a politician gets the vote he or she needs, the needs of the voter are ignored until the next election season. But the reality is that within the American democracy, the only way to change the cycle of cynicism is, in fact, to vote. Each single drop of water eventually fills the bucket and if we show our politicians that we as a generation are capable of affecting influence in the voting booth, we can use that leverage to control our democracy throughout the year.
Although our generation is diverse in many ways, including political affiliation and belief, there are concerns we can rally around. Accessibility of higher education, post-graduate employment opportunities, conflicts that bring our brothers, sisters, cousins and friends to all corners of the globe - these are issues that affect all of us in the same way and will continue to affect young people in the future. It doesn't matter who you vote for today or how you envision the future of our country - what matters is that you do vote, that you do take the time, as a member of the Millennial Generation, to show Washington that the voice of America's youth will not be ignored.
Today signifies a defining moment in the history of American democracy. Be a part of it and, in the name of our generation, vote.
