By Celiah, February 19th, 2008
I just returned from the polling location in
Terry Hall, a residence hall on campus, and turnout was minimal. But
don’t let that fool you. The youth voice is still louder than it has
ever been.
WASPIRG, a non-partisan group on campus, who runs campaigns like The
New Voters Project, said that students are more engaged than they ever
have been before.
The UW chapter of WASHPIRG organized students for the caucus on Feb 9, but didn’t have a huge campaign for the primaries today.
“We did it because the students through it was a good way to be
involved and because it mattered for both parties, and since we are
non-partisan, that was important,” said Lexi Fish, the campus organizer.
But efforts for youth to get out and vote have been very successful all over the country, not just in WA.
In Iowa, the youth voter turnout nearly tripled at the caucuses, a trend that also followed in the Florida primaries.
Students are simply more engaged than they have been in the past and
they realize that voting is one way to make they’re voices heard, said
Fish.
Here is a video from The New Voters Project in CA, showing that young people are loud and proud.
