In the 1960's, controversial worldly issues created a situation in which most American college students became politically aware. Issues such as the civil rights movement, the JFK assassination, and the Cold War gave students a reason to become involved in political activity. As a result, students demonstrated to demand lowering the voting age to 18. These teenagers got what they wanted. However, generations later we find that only 10 percent of college students actually vote in the national election. Three reasons may account for this poor turnout at the election polls.
After the turmoil of the 1960's died down, a new breed of political candidates emerged. These politicians have come very close to completely eliminating the two party system established by this country's forefathers. Some Republicans have been more liberal than their Democratic opposition; while many Democrats have displayed more conservative ideas than their Republican counterparts. In elections with such candidates, it is difficult to decide who to vote for. Essentially, the two final candidates are often very similar. This creates a situation in which many voters (especially students) don't care who will win. No matter who wins the election, many vital issues will be resolved in an almost identical fashion. Therefore, people who are used to voting for a specific party may decide to switch, while others may not vote at all simply because they are convinced that the country will run smoothly regardless of who is elected.
In addition to nonvoting due to the break in political party boundaries, many college students don't vote simply because they feel that their votes will not matter, or that the election's outcome will somehow not affect them personally. With a huge country such as the United States, it is obvious how one may think that their vote won't count when tallied with the rest of the nation. What people fail to realize, however, is that every vote does count significantly, and that by not voting, they are allowing the rest of the country to decide the election's outcome.
