Intern Blog

The unemployment rate is 8.5 percent and President Obama’s approval rating is at 45 percent, and now’s the perfect time to put someone new in the White House, says Lauren Camac, president of the College Republicans at the University of Miami.

But Camac, a 21-year-old junior, says she’s not getting much support from her fellow classmates, and she is disheartened by their lack of political participation in this election year.

“I am not satisfied with my peers’ level of interest in the political elections,” Camac said. “They seem to be very disinterested, as though the results of the elections will not affect their lives at all.”

And they will, Camac says. This year's presidential race offers issues, including gay rights, unemployment, student loans and the $15 trillion national debt, that could directly affect young voters for the rest of their lives.

But not everyone agrees with Camac’s prediction of low youth voter turnout this year.

“The presidential primary has historically been largely ignored by the younger constituency, but with the rise of technology and social media, we are seeing an ever-increasing politically active and engaged youth,” said Kierstin Koppel, Youth Coalitions Coordinator for Newt Gingrich.

 And according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), voter turnout among people ages 18-29 rose to 51 percent in 2008, an increase of 2 percentage points over 2004.

The inclusion of college students in modern-day politics is crucial to many campaigns, and that’s one reason why most presidential debates are held on college campuses.  On Jan. 26, Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul debated at the University of North Florida; three days earlier the GOP contenders were at USF in Tampa.

Gingrich himself has some helpful advice for those looking to take their political involvement a step further.

“First of all, get in the habit of organizing the people you know,” the Republican candidate told FNCU. “You organize your friends, you organize electronically through things like Facebook, [and] you organize on your campus if you're in college.

“But learning the habits of how to make the argument and how to recruit people, how to keep track of them ... all these are terrific things to learn. They enable you to become more and more effective in future campaigns.”

It seems that some young voters are taking heed and making their voices heard during the primary races. Over 250 students attended Gingrich’s speech on Latin American Policy two weeks ago at Florida International University’s Wertheim Performing Arts Center.

“It was amazing to see so many students interested and engaged in the process,” said Koppel, who organized the event. “Every person has the ability to reach out to people in their own community. Organize events, bring people together: a more connected youth is a more cohesive society.”