Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m 22 years old and last year Obama made me want to vote for the first time. I came home for the weekend from college so I could help vote him through the primaries and things have changed ever since. I think someone gave me the democratic bug (no, not H1N1) and I have been hitting the polls with full force ever since.
So what’s the reason for the three-year-lag in getting my voting gears rolling? Some might call it youthfulness, apathy, or laziness even-but I know there has to be more to it than that. I guess I never thought my vote mattered!
We were all sparked by the 2008 election, no matter which party you party with. But young people really got sparked. I never felt more like a member of my own generation than when I dove headfirst into democracy. Who’s with me?!
This year, when 2009 election time rolled around, I still had the democratic bug, bad. Despite being an “off year” for voters, not only did I vote, but I recruited five friends to vote, helped lead two phone banks for the no on 1033 campaign, spent my Saturday doorbelling TWICE (shout out to Laura Grant and Trick or Vote!!) and took part in an important yearly ritual: election parties.
Maybe the bug that bit me was on beast mode, but I don’t think so. I hope not, actually. I want young people to prove that I’m not an anomaly. I didn’t see many student faces out there last night… and for now I will just assume it’s because they were at home being good studiers. But LEV’s college intern Genna was actually doing her homework at the no on 1033 party last night, so, I’m just saying… When Genna asked herself the tough question of “do I celebrate political triumph or do I educate my mind?” She chose both.
A big thank you to everyone in Washington State-especially all my young people who voted and volunteered this year-for rejecting 1033 and approving Ref 71. It’s because of these results we can continue to do our work at LEV!
