Young Voters: A Call to Action

By: Patrick Fancher

Posted: 10/6/08

You have probably seen those funny, ironic Cingular/AT&T cell phone commercials where a dropped phone call results in the individual losing the object or opportunity of their desire. If only his phone had more reception bars, he could've scored tickets to the Final Four, instead of shooting hoops with the "townies" at the local bar. The young lady or "Phelps Phan" could've met her celebrity crush, Olympic gold-medalist Michael Phelps, in her own neighborhood, only to miss out due to the lack of those elusive bars.

These advertisements are an ideal analogy for what it would be like for a student who is planning to participate in the upcoming Presidential election, only to realize they didn't register to vote on time. The election won't be decided until Tuesday, Nov. 4th, but the deadline for first-time voter registration or to update your registration information in Oregon is Tuesday, Oct. 14th.

This election could be the most important any of us have ever witnessed, and our involvement could ultimately decide the outcome. For the last eight years, citizens of this country, old, young, conservative and liberal alike have had to tolerate the incompetent and deceptive nature of the Bush administration. We as the young demographic of voters have as much at stake in this election as anyone else.

Issues like the fragile state of the economy, the War in Iraq and jobs being shipped overseas are all current problems that could affect the lives we hope to create for ourselves. It is our chance to prove wrong the conventional wisdom that "young people don't vote because they don't care."

About a year ago, I decided to vote for Barack Obama, and did so during the Democratic primary election. The state of Oregon played an instrumental role in Obama winning that primary, and I take pride in knowing my vote helped achieve that.

I've long admired Obama's combination of intelligence and charisma, not to mention his willingness to go against the grain of traditional politics. He appears more committed to leading this country towards a promising future than his rival Senator John McCain.

For example, Obama supports the concept of finding alternative energy sources, so we aren't as reliant on foreign oil. McCain, on the other hand, would like to continue the same practice of drilling for offshore oil.

One of my friends was killed in the Iraq War. Another, an Army Reservist, was sent to Iraq after a five-year hiatus from active duty, having just graduated from college. Obama's plan of a 16-month withdrawal of troops from Iraq is a good idea, while Senator McCain's plan to keep U.S. forces in Iraq indefinitely seems fruitless.

Critics often cite Obama's lack of political experience as his weakness. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney had plenty of experience, and look where that got us.

It's not that I dislike John McCain; I actually have a lot of respect for his service to this country. To me, his proposals are outdated; most are replicas that came from the Bush administration.

I'm by no means trying to sell you on Barack Obama. I would rather see you take an active interest in politics and realize we have the ability to influence the outcome of any election, for any candidate, either here in Oregon or Washington D.C.

As I said before, we have as much at stake in this election as anyone else. We are lucky to be able to participate in the democratic process, which is an opportunity we shouldn't take for granted. As Oregonians, we even have the luxury of voting by mail.

Don't you want to witness the unveiling of America's next leader, knowing you played a key role in the election? Or are you going to be devastated that you missed the call? You can register to vote or update your registration status at http://www.sos.state.or.us/elections/