Comments on: || Reconnecting with America’s Invisible Democracy. http://thepolity.net/wordpress/2009/09/12/reconnecting-with-america%e2%80%99s-invisible-democracy/ Toward more sustainable ways of connecting citizens and government Tue, 04 May 2010 12:37:53 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Jasmine Chalashtori http://thepolity.net/wordpress/2009/09/12/reconnecting-with-america%e2%80%99s-invisible-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-43 Jasmine Chalashtori Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:11:29 +0000 http://thepolity.net/wordpress/?p=53#comment-43 I hate to take the cynical role in responding to this very well-written and well-thought out piece but it's hard not to. The Stetson Votes organization is a commendable idea, but it needs to be carried out farther. I haven't seen any activity from the organization since the 2008 election. While I realize that was a pivotal time for registration, as Dr. Lachelier pointed out, politics goes beyond the Presidential Elections. I wonder what the poll results would be of those who actually voted even after registering with Stetson Votes? Would we still be disappointed by the low turnout of the apathetic college student? Quite possibly. In my humble opinion the two keys to civic engagement in terms of voting in Presidential elections and beyond are education and accessibility. First of all, college students need to know what is going on in their community. Perhaps, during the week of elections, whether it be local or beyond, there can be advertisements via organizations like Stetson Votes that provide short blurbs on what's going on in the local government. As Dr. Nylen pointed out in his article, "The Promise of Local Government as a School of Democracy (Part 2) The City of DeLand, Florida", people usually get involved when they're upset. By educating the people on what's going, it may ruffle a few feathers and produce some kind of incentive to vote or get involved. Secondly, accessibility is pivotal to voter turnout especially in younger people. To put it plainly, the idea of standing in line to vote is dreadful. There's no immediate result and it's a gamble on whether or not your candidate will even win so in the end it could be time wasted. This isn't necessarily my view, but I know it to be a view of my peers. Some will argue, voting is accessible! It's right down the street at the courthouse, but the truth of the matter is that until it's on the doorstep and in their face with very little inconvenience posed at all, voter turnout will be low. The establishment of voting on school campuses may seem far fetched now but I think it's necessary to the civic engagement of younger Americans in terms of voting. Stetson Votes is absolutely a step in the right direction and can be used as a beacon for other schools to follow. It is this sort of organization that should push for voter education and accessibility to enhance voter turnout of college students, at the local, state and federal levels. I hate to take the cynical role in responding to this very well-written and well-thought out piece but it’s hard not to. The Stetson Votes organization is a commendable idea, but it needs to be carried out farther. I haven’t seen any activity from the organization since the 2008 election. While I realize that was a pivotal time for registration, as Dr. Lachelier pointed out, politics goes beyond the Presidential Elections. I wonder what the poll results would be of those who actually voted even after registering with Stetson Votes? Would we still be disappointed by the low turnout of the apathetic college student? Quite possibly.

In my humble opinion the two keys to civic engagement in terms of voting in Presidential elections and beyond are education and accessibility. First of all, college students need to know what is going on in their community. Perhaps, during the week of elections, whether it be local or beyond, there can be advertisements via organizations like Stetson Votes that provide short blurbs on what’s going on in the local government. As Dr. Nylen pointed out in his article, “The Promise of Local Government as a School of Democracy (Part 2) The City of DeLand, Florida”, people usually get involved when they’re upset. By educating the people on what’s going, it may ruffle a few feathers and produce some kind of incentive to vote or get involved.

Secondly, accessibility is pivotal to voter turnout especially in younger people. To put it plainly, the idea of standing in line to vote is dreadful. There’s no immediate result and it’s a gamble on whether or not your candidate will even win so in the end it could be time wasted. This isn’t necessarily my view, but I know it to be a view of my peers. Some will argue, voting is accessible! It’s right down the street at the courthouse, but the truth of the matter is that until it’s on the doorstep and in their face with very little inconvenience posed at all, voter turnout will be low. The establishment of voting on school campuses may seem far fetched now but I think it’s necessary to the civic engagement of younger Americans in terms of voting.

Stetson Votes is absolutely a step in the right direction and can be used as a beacon for other schools to follow. It is this sort of organization that should push for voter education and accessibility to enhance voter turnout of college students, at the local, state and federal levels.

]]> By: Mariamne Harrington http://thepolity.net/wordpress/2009/09/12/reconnecting-with-america%e2%80%99s-invisible-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-33 Mariamne Harrington Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:07:12 +0000 http://thepolity.net/wordpress/?p=53#comment-33 I recognize the point of this piece as the call for young Americans to vote and get involved. After reading chapters from Cliff Zukin et all’s work, A New Engagement?, I would assert that voting is not the only avenue of engagement to focus on because young Americans are involved in other channels that have just as much civic worth as voting. I would also like to use some of their arguments to aid other assertions made in this article. As Zukin et all note, “the trend in declining turnout among the young…can be interpreted as not a rejection of public life but a shift in the types of participation in which these citizens are engaging” (9). An important fact presented in this work was the percentage of young Americans who participated in volunteer activity on a regular basis, which was nearly equal to the percentage of their parents (7). Furthermore, the authors also present statistics that reveals youth engagement is equal to that of their elders in respect to civic engagement, but not political engagement. While I know political engagement is the focus of this online piece, something put forth by Zukin’s work struck me in regards to the importance of the balance between civic and political engagement. The authors establish that they “acknowledge the necessity and value of diverse participation, while remaining cognizant that civic engagement can not substitute for political engagement or vice versa” (9). Because of this, I concede that the idea of intensely focusing on increasing the rate of young American’s voter turnout as an important initiative, so I would like to congratulate Dr. Lachelier and the Stetson Votes organization for working towards increasing political engagement among local college students. Beyond that, I think Zufkin et all would also admire the organization’s efforts to get students involved in other avenues of local government as well. Again, I would also like to stress the importance of recognizing the other channels of involvement, like writing letters to public officials and community service organizations. As someone who is appalled by my peers lack of interest in voting, through my class readings I am finding that filling out a ballot is not the only way to be a good citizen. I recognize the point of this piece as the call for young Americans to vote and get involved. After reading chapters from Cliff Zukin et all’s work, A New Engagement?, I would assert that voting is not the only avenue of engagement to focus on because young Americans are involved in other channels that have just as much civic worth as voting. I would also like to use some of their arguments to aid other assertions made in this article. As Zukin et all note, “the trend in declining turnout among the young…can be interpreted as not a rejection of public life but a shift in the types of participation in which these citizens are engaging” (9). An important fact presented in this work was the percentage of young Americans who participated in volunteer activity on a regular basis, which was nearly equal to the percentage of their parents (7). Furthermore, the authors also present statistics that reveals youth engagement is equal to that of their elders in respect to civic engagement, but not political engagement. While I know political engagement is the focus of this online piece, something put forth by Zukin’s work struck me in regards to the importance of the balance between civic and political engagement. The authors establish that they “acknowledge the necessity and value of diverse participation, while remaining cognizant that civic engagement can not substitute for political engagement or vice versa” (9). Because of this, I concede that the idea of intensely focusing on increasing the rate of young American’s voter turnout as an important initiative, so I would like to congratulate Dr. Lachelier and the Stetson Votes organization for working towards increasing political engagement among local college students. Beyond that, I think Zufkin et all would also admire the organization’s efforts to get students involved in other avenues of local government as well. Again, I would also like to stress the importance of recognizing the other channels of involvement, like writing letters to public officials and community service organizations. As someone who is appalled by my peers lack of interest in voting, through my class readings I am finding that filling out a ballot is not the only way to be a good citizen.

]]> By: Alexandra Hernandez http://thepolity.net/wordpress/2009/09/12/reconnecting-with-america%e2%80%99s-invisible-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-32 Alexandra Hernandez Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:02:55 +0000 http://thepolity.net/wordpress/?p=53#comment-32 American colleges and universities may very well have the potential to move the country towards greater political engagement with voting programs such as “Stetson Votes.” By making students across the nation aware of the significance of their votes, we could only hope that they decide on mobilizing others to engage in politics. However, after informing students the importance of performing their right to vote and getting them registered, do students truly think “politics,” or simply exercise an individual right that they realize they have? More importantly, how can many students overcome the factor of individualism, which Benjamin Barber and Robert Bellah have revealed to be so heavily present in societies these days? The individual today seems more focused on personal accomplishments rather than participating in politics, or if they do participate in any way, it tends to be more “civic” than “political.” Take for instance the many organizations across colleges and universities focused on “giving back” to communities, whether it is to feed the homeless or rescue abandoned pets. Such organizations outnumber those that attempt to mobilize political participation, and allow the young individuals to choose what they believe to be important to them personally, rather than focusing more on what is important to see happen in their respective governments. I do not believe institutionalizing voting in universities stirs much political thought in students, they are merely learning to exercise their right to vote, and don’t we want more than that? Don’t we want students to vote for change, policies, or for the sake of their communities? I attempted to institutionalize voting for students who were 18 in the high school I attended, and I still recall the main reason that those who registered wanted to vote was not to voice their mind, their heart, and to vote for the future, but merely because it’s “something to do when I turn 18.” I continue to hear that reason amongst many of my college peers. Institutionalizing voting in colleges and universities may only target a minority of students who actually become politically engaged. There has to be a way to adapt to the present-day changes in political participation and reach out to a greater majority, while at the same time overcoming the threat of individualism. We could only hope that those who do become seriously engaged citizens can mobilize others and help recreate neighborhood associations across the nation for greater political engagement once they step outside the realm of college life. Citizens should participate in their politics not just because they are legally entitled to, but because they truly want to be active citizens. American colleges and universities may very well have the potential to move the country towards greater political engagement with voting programs such as “Stetson Votes.” By making students across the nation aware of the significance of their votes, we could only hope that they decide on mobilizing others to engage in politics. However, after informing students the importance of performing their right to vote and getting them registered, do students truly think “politics,” or simply exercise an individual right that they realize they have? More importantly, how can many students overcome the factor of individualism, which Benjamin Barber and Robert Bellah have revealed to be so heavily present in societies these days? The individual today seems more focused on personal accomplishments rather than participating in politics, or if they do participate in any way, it tends to be more “civic” than “political.” Take for instance the many organizations across colleges and universities focused on “giving back” to communities, whether it is to feed the homeless or rescue abandoned pets. Such organizations outnumber those that attempt to mobilize political participation, and allow the young individuals to choose what they believe to be important to them personally, rather than focusing more on what is important to see happen in their respective governments. I do not believe institutionalizing voting in universities stirs much political thought in students, they are merely learning to exercise their right to vote, and don’t we want more than that? Don’t we want students to vote for change, policies, or for the sake of their communities? I attempted to institutionalize voting for students who were 18 in the high school I attended, and I still recall the main reason that those who registered wanted to vote was not to voice their mind, their heart, and to vote for the future, but merely because it’s “something to do when I turn 18.” I continue to hear that reason amongst many of my college peers. Institutionalizing voting in colleges and universities may only target a minority of students who actually become politically engaged. There has to be a way to adapt to the present-day changes in political participation and reach out to a greater majority, while at the same time overcoming the threat of individualism. We could only hope that those who do become seriously engaged citizens can mobilize others and help recreate neighborhood associations across the nation for greater political engagement once they step outside the realm of college life. Citizens should participate in their politics not just because they are legally entitled to, but because they truly want to be active citizens.

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