Final Draft

Why Politics Should Matter to Teens

By Aaron Lockman

Blue = depends on election

In a world of ever-increasing frenzy and teenage angst, politics is slowly slipping down the average teen’s list of priorities. Statistically, most teens intend to vote when they come of age, but what about in the meantime? Should high school students really care about politics?

“What’s politics?” said Ari Lavoie, freshman. “Is that, like, birth control or something?”

“I just don’t have much time,” said slightly more serious freshman Kaylee Burns. “I mean, I care about who’s president, but not much else. I just have more important things to worry about.”

Both Lavoie and Burns raise an interesting point: the teenage schedule is stuffed to the brim with homework, extracurricular activities, and relationship woes. There’s just no room around the edges for knowledge of a realm that is beyond their control. And the question of whether that is a bad thing remains: if high school students cannot vote, what is the point of following the political scene? Why should teens care?

“Because,” said Linda Valentino, current Maine state representative for District 134 and hopeful state senator, “it’s your future that we’re deciding up there.”

Valentino then immediately went to fetch an article from the Portland Press Herald from the recycle bin to further her point. The article detailed a vote by the University of Maine System’s board of trustees to extend the current tuition freeze (a government mandate restricting colleges from raising tuition). They did this, however, on the condition that the state provide $176 million a year for education and general operations at the University of Maine.

Sounds boring. But, as Valentino goes on to point out, what this signifies is that the money that you will have to cough up in order to continue your education is usually decided by people like Linda Valentino: elected officials, often at a state level. The only reason many University of Maine students can still afford to attend this year is because of a vote from the Maine senate and House of Representatives.

Even if you don’t plan to go to college, politics still influences major factors of your life. The government is in charge of the wage you get at your job, how many hours you can work there per week, the age you need to be to get your drivers’ license, and many other aspects of teen existence.

“There isn’t a thing that doesn’t affect you,” said Valentino.

True enough. But at this age, when the right to vote is still out of grasp, how can the average teen possibly affect the outcomes of these decisions?

When 2009 TA graduate Justin Chenette was attending high school here, he interviewed many significant political figures on The Issue, TATV’s news and politics show. After one interview, he remembers that a woman running for office asked him his age. When he responded that he was 17, she replied, “Oh, you’re under eighteen. Your opinion doesn’t matter.”

Chenette was justifiably indignant and went on to become the youngest current member of the Maine state legislature.

“As young people, we have to make ourselves heard,” said Chenette. “You need to be informed before you turn 18 - whoever you want to be, you need to figure that out at this point in your life.”

The teen population is growing up fast - making up a third of the American electorate by 2015  - and will soon be inheriting all the political issues that are so easy to ignore now. Staying informed is the best way to insure that those issues don’t come as a surprise. And it seems to be working: according to the U.S. Census, the past decade has seen a steady rise in young voters - especially in the 2008 election. That’s one of the remarkable things Obama did with his campaign in 2008, remarks Chenette: He made young people feel like they had a voice.

Indeed, looking back at the election four years ago illuminates a stark contrast with the wildly negative campaign this fall, another major factor in pushing teens away. “It’s all just bashing,” said senior Richard Crowell. “And [the candidates] both kind of stink.”

“They always seem to kind of just go back on their word and promise what they can’t deliver,” said Hayley Hogan.

The endless negative sniping from both parties across the country has aggravated all demographics, not just teens. Has government become just another catfight?

In response to this, Valentino tells a story of a local election several years ago, in which her opponent spent a considerable amount of money on an extensive negative ad campaign against her. In local politics, however, voters don’t just get their sources from ads and debates. A large number of the constituents knew Valentino personally and immediately recognized the ridiculousness of the ads - and many who’d been considering voting for her opponent were dissuaded enough to switch sides. She won the election in a landslide.

While it is true that Washington has become increasingly negative this year, the cutthroat methods that work on the big stage don’t easily transfer to a local level. As with the University of Maine example, local politics is far more likely to influence issues that have a direct impact on you - not to mention that you’re more likely to be able to have an influence on local politics. Volunteering or interning with a campaign you support, besides being a huge resume builder, is a simple way to uphold your duty as a citizen to make your voice heard even if you can’t vote yet.

The best thing you can do, however, is simply to stay informed. Just being aware of what’s going on and what affects you will have a positive impact - even posting on your Facebook about an opinion you have encourages political discourse. “Social media can be a tool to learn to talk back, and to interact with your extended community,” Chenette noted. “And it provides a safe environment for teens to make their voices heard on issues they care about.”

In the end, the larger issue isn’t even politics. It’s about being immersed in the world around you, finding something you’re passionate about - and, if you don’t like something, changing it.