Want to Increase Voter Turnout? Teach Adolescents to Have Goals

image
Author: David Yee
Created: 16 Dec, 2015
Updated: 18 Oct, 2022
2 min read

"Voter turnout in the United States is dismally low."

A recent academic paper exploring the aspects of low voter turnout begins with what we already know--that our voter turnout is horrendously low and getting worse.

Any number of measures have been employed to increase turnout--from motor voter laws to get-out-the-vote campaigns.

But this paper discusses a unique aspect of voter participation, one that seems to carry true from adolescence to adulthood--those who can create, persevere, and achieve goals are far more likely to vote.

Dubbed the psychosocial skill of 'grittiness,' researchers determined that those possessing 'grit' were more likely to get to the polls, and far more likely to wait in lines if need be.

If this is really the case, then we must ask, what goals we are teaching each generation?

One thing we have learned from America's extended wars in the Middle East is that many returning soldiers have had such incredible difficulties coping with the extreme levels of stress that programs of resilience training have been added into military training -- with one program already being tested on 1.1 million soldiers.

And while modern soldiering is an extreme example, it shows that the mental toughness and grit of the current generations are simply not as high as previous ones.

Maybe the best training we can give the next generation contains solid lessons in civics, government, and service during their adolescent years. A growing number of school districts require a certain amount of community service work in order to graduate -- this is a very good start.

Students have to be taught that even though they (or their parents) aren't carving out the wilderness forming the nation, their participation in society is what keeps society functioning and growing.

IVP Donate

Our voter problems aren't totally from apathy; our voter turnout problems are largely due to a total disconnect between the person and what it means to be a good citizen -- producing for society, building society, and directing society.

This raw grit is the very basis of the independent voter thought that we can be tough enough, smart enough, and resilient enough to make positive changes to our country.

In the end, voter apathy comes full circle. If true engagement into the political process happens, voter apathy becomes voter engagement, and not just a party-line marcher, but true political engagement that is interested in making real changes and tough decisions for our nation.

Latest articles

New Mexico State Capitol Building
A Bill to Open Taxpayer-Funded Primaries to Over 330,000 Independents Sent to New Mexico Governor's Desk
It has been a long road for reformers in New Mexico, but the legislature has passed a bill that would open state primary elections to a quarter of the state's voting population registered unaffiliated of a political party....
23 Mar, 2025
-
3 min read
People using their phones.
How Digital Echo Chambers Hijacked Political Discourse — And What That Means for Independent Voters
In a time when technology moves faster than public awareness can keep up, the line between communication and manipulation is vague. A recent piece in Tablet Magazine titled “Rapid-Onset Political Enlightenment” sheds light on how the digital era — once hailed as a democratizing force — has been weaponized to manufacture consent, manage narratives, and in many cases, replace political discussion with political echo chambers....
21 Mar, 2025
-
3 min read
Stack of ballots on American flag.
Defining the Democracy Movement: Andy Moore and the National Association of Nonpartisan Reformers
The Fulcrum presents The Path Forward: Defining the Democracy Reform Movement. Scott Warren's weekly interviews engage diverse thought leaders to elevate the conversation about building a thriving and healthy democratic republic that fulfills its potential as a national social and political game-changer. ...
20 Mar, 2025
-
4 min read