For more years than any of us have been alive, politicians and political pundits have discounted student voters, arguing that young people just don't turn out at the polls.
On the campaign trail and in office, government officials from the White House and Congress have ignored the issues most important to us, assuming that youth voter apathy would preclude them from political punishment.
They have spoken about Medicare and Social Security, while marginalizing the rising cost of college tuition. They have reached out to Soccer Moms and NASCAR Dads, while overlooking the students who represent our nation's future.
Now is our time to change all that. While voter turnout among 18- to 29-year-olds has been less than stellar over the past few decades, 2008 has the potential to be a monumental year for student political participation.
With the longest nomination process in recent memory and a competitive primary late in the election season, the opportunities for students to get involved are here, now.
Moreover, the issues we face in this election are far too important for students not to voice their opinions.
The decision we make in 2008 will have implications far into the future.
We are in the midst of a war in Iraq, which has just entered its fifth year. The environment hangs in the balance. The economy is about to enter a recession. Health-care costs and college tuition have skyrocketed. Today's pressing concerns impact young people as much as, if not more than, any other segment of the population. If student voters aren't motivated to get involved, when will they be?
The trends so far have been encouraging, with young people turning out in record numbers to vote in the 2008 primaries and caucuses. In Iowa, the youth vote tripled from 2004, and New Hampshire saw a 25-percent increase among 18- to 29-year-olds. Youth voter participation rates were shattered on Super Tuesday: Turnout doubled in Massachusetts, tripled in Georgia, and quadrupled in Tennessee. More importantly, young voters played a decisive role in many of these contests, proving that each student vote really does matter.
Furthermore, this campus has seen a marked improvement in voter participation in recent years. With the establishment of Penn Leads the Vote in 2004, dedicated student leaders were able to increase student engagement by 280 percent.
This positive trend continued through 2006; on-campus voter turnout tripled from the previous midterm election. We proved that reaching out to young voters is indeed possible and that the student vote cannot be ignored.
This does not mean we can rest on our laurels, content with the improvements that have already occurred.
On the contrary, we have an even greater responsibility now.
We must register and vote in higher numbers, to prove that the national and on-campus increase in voter participation is not a fluke but a permanent reality.
Now more than ever, it is imperative that young people enter the political process and demand that their voices be heard.
With the hopes for our age group so high, failing to deliver on the promise of increased turnout will leave young people more politically isolated than ever before.
Young people currently represent nearly 25 percent of the eligible American electorate.
If we meet our responsibility and actually vote this time around, politicians will no longer be able to claim we are apathetic.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Before you can vote, you have to register. With the deadline only days away, it's time to step up and stop making excuses.
If not now, when?
Stephanie Simon is a College junior and president of Penn Leads the Vote.
