filed under Activism | Daily Dose | Good Ideas
god i hate these stickers…
9:15PM ON
07/04/2008
BY
Beth Comery
… but maybe through the miracle of scratch ‘n’ sniff technology we could make them smell like french fries and Americans would vote in greater numbers. That’s my idea.
Happily, director of FairVote Rhode Island and regular Doser, Ari Savitzky, has a better idea. In a piece in this morning’s ProJo, written with executive director Rob Richie, Ari lays out exactly why the recently vetoed uniform voter registration bill makes so much sense. Designed to pre-register 16-year-olds so that they can be automatically added to the voter rolls at age 18, this initiative has now been vetoed three years running. It should have enough support this year to allow for an override.
Some might conclude this is no big deal, but multiple studies demonstrate that when you vote when first eligible, you tend to become a lifetime voter. Those who stay home are far less likely to vote in the future.
(If I may add my own two cents, it is time for the youth of America to rise up and break the back of the AARP voter hegemony. Until there is universal health care, Nana and Pop-pop should pay for their own damn drugs.)
July 5th, 2008 at 4:46PM
Tabetha Bernstein-Danis Says:
I have voted ever year since age 18 (I am now 32) and think that registering young voters is probably a good idea. Perhaps this may lead to people who don’t feel the need to move in partisan lockstep with the Big 2 in this country. As an Independent, I feel that involving youthful voters could encourage people who are willing to think outside the box and not just vote a straight party on election day. It’s time to start looking at how individuals address particular issues. I think real change will not occur until we begin to see the viability of political parties beyond the domination of Republicans and Democrats. I, for example, plan to write in Jesse Ventura this November in protest of the Big 2. Perhaps some will think I am wasting my vote but I like to think of this as making a statement.
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July 6th, 2008 at 2:10PM
Ari Savitzky Says:
Word up- you are right, and young people in fact are looking for independent candidates.
Let your state rep and senator know that you support overriding this veto!
[Reply]