Voter education is one of the top issues that WSSU’s Student Government Association president Ajeane Knibye, a 21-year-old political science major, said he will tackle during his tenure.
“Get involved in voting and voting education,” he said, during a recent interview. “Do personal research, stay aware and keep up with the news.”
Knibye also urged students to get involved in student government affairs.
“Every organization should make sure to send a representative to senate meetings. If all are involved it can make a big difference, he said.”
Knibye’s comments can easily be applied to local, state and national politics. Over the past 30 years, voter registration among young people has remained relatively flat, according to Circle, The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
Here are few facts about the youth vote in America. All figures are based on 2000 voting statistics, and additional information about youth voting is available on Circle’s Web site at http://www.civicyouth.org. The number of 18-25 year old American citizens eligible to vote: 26.9 million. The number of people in this group who claimed to have voted in 2000: 9.9 million. About 45 % of African Americans in the 18-25 age group say they voted. 43.5% of Asian Americans say they voted. 30.8 % of Hispanics say they voted. 44% of the white youth population says they voted. Young African-Americans (41%) are most likely to identify themselves as democrats, 21% identify themselves as independent and 27% as republican.