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| Source: www.tmglobalist.org |
What may be perceived as novel or foreign
to an older generation could be the norm for the younger ones. They grew up
around technology and it is their expectation that just about everything can be
completed online in some way. They expect to use their smartphones and tablets
to connect to the world. They expect to interact with the rest of the world in
a digital way. Given this, they can view more traditional paper ballots for
elections as an archaic and outdated practice, one that they may not wish to
participate in because of this perception.
In the future, Government agencies should
embrace having more technology involved in the electoral process, in order to engage
the younger voters, stirring up their interest in politics today so that
they will continue to be involved for years to come.
Indeed, this is why the Rock the Vote
movement of the 1990s has suddenly received new life
in 2014. The original movement played an integral role in the 1992 general
election in the United States and it was through this targeted engagement of
younger people that Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States.
Voter turnout among those aged 18-24 dramatically increased during that period,
voting overwhelmingly for Clinton. Indeed, it is similarly through technology,
pop culture and the engagement with young people that current President Barack
Obama got elected to office.
Leading up to 2014 midterm elections in the
United States, Rock the Vote will be deploying an updated strategy to improve
voter turnout among younger voters. The goal of the organization is to register
1.5 million people, focusing heavily on the youth vote. They're also
approaching the Latino community and approaching issues related to the voting
process that affect these demographics.
Getting young people to vote has
historically been a challenge and it may be more difficult than ever. Less than
a quarter of those polled by Harvard
University’s Institute of Politics between the ages of 18 and 29 years old
said they would “definitely be voting” in the upcoming election. That needs to
change and e-voting could be part of the solution. Young people have said that
they either don't know or can't be bothered with absentee
ballots sent through postal mail; they would much prefer a fully online
solution. If polling places had e-voting machines that were connected to a
central network, it would be conceivable for these young voters to cast their
ballot from anywhere in the country. The terminal would simply bring up their
local information. That's just one possibility.
Considering that an increasingly number of
less developed countries around the world—like India,
Namibia
and Nigeria—are
embracing technology in some form or another for their elections and how this
is actively engaging the youth demographic and getting them much more
interested in the politics of their area, more developed and established
countries like the United States need to catch up. They need to bring e-voting
to the forefront and capture the interest of younger voters who have become
increasingly disinterested and disenchanted with the democratic process.
E-voting, in one form or another, can help
shape the future of democracy.
