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Duty, issues drive young voters
By BARBARA BEHRENDT © St. Petersburg Times, published November 5, 2000 CRYSTAL RIVER -- Daniel Preston has done his homework. The 18-year-old Crystal River High School senior has watched the presidential debates, listened to National Public Radio, read the newspapers and is ready to make his choices in Tuesday's general election. The first-time voter said he has been especially interested in issues such as school vouchers, abortion, gun control and military readiness. "I'm planning to vote for Al Gore," he said. "I feel he is more qualified." Preston, who plans to enter the military, said voting in Tuesday's election is essential because the key issues are important ones and because it is his civic duty. Yet, national statistics and local observations place Preston in the minority for his age range. Gary Wright, a social studies teacher at Crystal River High School, said only about one in 10 of the students show a real interest in politics and voting. "The rest of them can be (interested) if there is some important issue or something that affects their life," he said. "But I haven't seen any issues this year that have them very excited.' Preston said he understands why some of his classmates have little interest in politics. "I think it's mainly because they have bigger things on their mind. They're thinking about college, making money," he said. "A lot of these things don't affect us yet and they're not worried." But Preston does think about issues like Social Security. He worked over the summer and saw the chunk Social Security bit from his earnings. He said he wants to be sure he sees some return for that in the future. Taxes in general interest voters but even the youngest voters pay attention. "I work all the time and it kills me how much they take out" for taxes, said Bret Bienkowski, another 18-year-old senior at Crystal River High School. Bienkowski is also anxious to have his first shot at voting on Tuesday. He has taken the time to learn about the issues and is eager to express his opinion on the presidential as well as the superintendent's race. Voting is something that has to be done, he said. "I don't like people deciding for me," Bienkowski said. Citrus Supervisor of Elections Susan Gill recognizes that the future of higher voter turnout rests in the hands of young people, and she has been working hard to instill in them a sense of responsibility about participating in the election process. Sometimes the task is a difficult one. "You've got to think about being 18. Maybe there's an interest, but there is a lot going on in their lives," she said. National statistics show that the number of young people voting has dropped off in recent years even more dramatically than at other age ranges, Gill said. In 1972, the first year that 18-year-olds could vote, 50 percent of those registered in the 18-24 age range nationally did go to the polls. By 1996, that dropped off to 32 percent. The statistics show higher interest in Citrus. In 1996, 50 percent of Citrus County voters age 18-24 did vote, and Gill said she is working hard to try to keep the local numbers up by reaching students early. She works with teachers who have their own ways to involve students in elections, ranging from encouraging students to attend political forums to hear about issues to taking students on field trips to an inauguration. Gill has helped teach lessons on citizenship for younger students. At the high school level, she visits each school twice a year to register 18-year-olds. The high schools also conduct mock elections using the same voting equipment used in regular county elections. Then there are the mock elections such as the one going on Monday. Those will be hand counted by the League of Women Voters and results reported to the state. All Citrus students will be given the chance to vote for president, with results to be released on Tuesday at 7 p.m. after polls close across the state, Gill said. In addition to the presidential question, Citrus fourth- and fifth-graders will be voting on whether they want to continue the annual spelling bee. This year Gill's visits with high school students also prompted a new idea to get young adults involved in elections. "They have said that they don't feel like voting because "what's the point? They (public officials) don't listen to us anyway,' " Gill said. She helped set up a high school students' forum, which took place last month at Citrus High School. High school students from both public and private schools questioned the three candidates for school superintendent. "They did a very good job," Gill said. "They don't look at things the same way we do. . . . We have to take the time to listen to what they're thinking." Gill said she has other plans for getting students involved with local public officials in non-election years and she hopes that will get young people interested in elections. "I think that once they get up close and personal with them, then they don't feel so distant" from the candidates, Gill said. "The more that they can get to see elected officials and interact with them, the better off our government is going to be." Jonathan Kraljic, a junior at Citrus High School, attended the forum. He said he appreciated the opportunity to see candidates in person and the format that allowed only students to ask questions. While Kraljic won't be 18 until next year so he can't vote, he said he is doing his best to influence his family about the candidate he would like to see elected superintendent. "I'm trying to get my vote through my family," he said. Kraljic, Citrus High's Drama Club president, said he might someday want to run for School Board. He said he believes it is important that the people running the schools have their priorities straight. For example, he said, one of his school's teachers just got a new computer, one the teacher won't use because it is not compatible with the rest of the computers in his room. The cost of that one computer could have been used for so many other needed expenses at the school. "I think teachers and others in the educational community, these people think it's time for a change," he said. He got a firsthand look at funding priorities last year when he was among the students who protested the cutting of the drama program at his school. He said that experience ignited his interest in politics and he expects that to last a lifetime. "That was the first time that things started affecting me," he said. "I got interested when it started affecting my life and my future." For 18-year-old Heather Otterbein, abortion is the issue drawing her to the polls for the first time on Tuesday. She is pro-choice and is planning to vote for Gore because he shares that viewpoint. She said she also prefers Gore on education, health care and foreign policy issues. She said she is surprised at how few people her age care about politics. But she attributes it to a general apathy in society fed by negative campaigning. "It's hard to tell who's telling the truth," Otterbein said. "Sometimes it comes down to figuring out who's lying the most." Otterbein was not sure she wanted to vote, but her parents convinced her she should learn more about the issues. As she did, she found there were many political issues and candidates she was interested in supporting. "I feel now like my vote will count for something," she said.
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