An Argument to Engage Students In the Political Process

By Robert Dallek

Young Americans are notoriously indifferent to political participation. Where only about half the electorate turns out to vote in presidential elections, the percentage of those between the ages of 18 and 30 who go to the polls is significantly smaller. State, county, and local elections command even less attention. In a recent Democratic Party primary for a U.S. Senate nomination in Virginia, for example, just 4 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. One can only imagine how few young people were part...