Teens: Future Voters

KAREN DIETLEIN, CNS

Published: September 23, 2004

I’m pretty powerful here, you know. My words echo in the halls of the state Capitol as legislators fashion the law. My mere presence at a meeting makes town officials think twice about passing a measure that might anger me. And by simply punching a button with my pinkie finger, I can change the world.

I am a voter.

Sound outlandish? It does to some, who see the government as the sole province of poli-sci professionals, TV pundits, know-it-all lawyers and connected insiders. They ask what sort of influence could one ordinary person have on the centers of power in America?

Teens under 18, waiting to be invested with the power to choose their leaders, often find it odd to think that their tiny voices could have any effect on the way things are done on local, state and federal levels.

“We’re too young,” I’ve heard from would-be activists. “Nobody takes us seriously. They think we’re just kids fooling around. And, besides, I can’t vote. What kind of power do I have?”

The answer? A lot.

Just ask Christopher Portman, elected mayor of Mercer, Pa., at age 19. Or Shane Mack of Castlewood, S.D., who in 1988 became mayor at only 18. Or talk to Jason Nastke, who at 19 ran for and was elected mayor in Valatie, N.Y. These guys got their start in high school when they decided to get involved in the issues facing their hometowns.

But teens don’t need to occupy a public office to have influence. They already have everything they need: a pen, a voice, a presence and a conviction that you are never too young to care, even if you are too young to vote.

Here are some other things teenagers can do that will be taken seriously by the powers that be:

1. Write letters to your district’s elected lawmakers detailing how you feel about issues of the day. They’ll listen. It’s their job to represent you, to make sure your needs and desires get a fair hearing where it matters most—even if you’re not eligible to vote yet.

2. Participate in town and school board meetings, even though they have a reputation for being pretty stale. In reality, these assemblies are crucial, as board members are charged with making the resolutions that most affect daily life. For example, they’ll decide if the school will be on block scheduling next year, how late Mr. Smith is allowed to blast his music or if a building permit will be granted to build a mall that will wipe out a former nature preserve.

3. Get involved with mock trials, student government and model U.N. clubs. These organizations give teens a hands-on look at the way the real world works.

4. Volunteer to improve your community. Serve at a soup kitchen, build houses for the poor, read books to children. Change starts from the ground up.

5. Read up on the issues of the day, including the social justice teachings of the Catholic Church. Many issues carry over from election to election: budgets, higher education and other hot-button topics such as abortion, gun control, the death penalty and war. By the time you’re old enough to be elected, you’ll be informed and ready.

Getting involved in government—at any level—is fundamental to our society. Democracy is a government “by the people, for the people,” and if the people give up their voice, the whole thing becomes pretty useless and obsolete.

So speak up.

Because teens are pretty powerful.