Although pundits have blasted 18- to 24-year-olds for years as being embarrassingly apathetic toward elections, University of Memphis students showed no sign of this apathy on Election Day. This suggests, whatever the outcome of the election and its seemingly inevitable litigation, the victor will for once owe much to the youngest voting demographic.
"P-Diddy really (got) it done," said Ben Brewer, a senior psychology major.In the 2000 election only 55 percent of the voting-age population participated, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This was just one percentage point better than 1996's record low.
In 2000, only 36 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted.That election convinced Marcus Washington of the need to vote.
"I've always wanted to vote - that's my constitutional right," said Washington, a junior chemistry and finance major. He also said the 2000 election convinced him every vote carries weight.
Tonisha Manning, who voted early Tuesday morning, said she would have skipped class to vote.
"People need to recognize voting is your civil liberty," said the junior nursing major. Manning, as an African-American woman, says she felt doubly compelled to exercise that right because of the uphill battle for suffrage women and African-Americans had to endure.
Gayle Griffin, a volunteer who was canvassing the campus for Kerry yesterday, had so much faith in the ability of young adults to swing the election she flew more than 2,000 miles from California -- a solidly Kerry state -- in an attempt to swing Bush-friendly Tennessee to the Democrats.
"Young people could shift this whole thing," Griffin said.
Carlesia Smith, sophomore biology major, watched the debates in an effort to decide which way to vote. When none of the candidates spoke to her, Smith decided to sit this one out.
"I'm not just going to vote because I can," said Smith, a registered voter. "You should vote because you believe in that person - it shouldn't just be about getting Bush out or getting Kerry in."
Several students said a complicated registration process kept them from voting in 2000.Anthony White said a "lack of knowledge" concerning absentee ballots prevented him from voting in the last presidential election. White, a senior mathematics major, had no such problems this year, saying it took him about two minutes to vote Tuesday morning.White was one of several students who refused to shake a finger at those who chose to not exercise their right to vote."Everybody has their own beliefs in the system," White said.Heather Basinger was one of many who said not exercising one's right to vote results in them losing another coveted right."If you don't vote you can't complain," said the chemistry graduate student.
