2 weeks Ago
On Tuesday, my son will cast his first vote for president, and I’m more excited than he is. Actually, he just decided a few days ago to make a mark for the highest office. When he turned 18 two years ago, he didn’t want to vote at all.
He argued. And argued. “My vote doesn’t matter,” he repeated obstinately as only a teenager can.
This attitude emerged even after going with me to the polls every election since he was a baby. He took advanced-level civics courses in high school and grew up in a household where current events are discussed daily. The only thing that drove him to participate in school board elections was his irritation with the lack of resources in his school.
He agreed to vote when seeing that one board member had won by fewer than 10 votes the previous year. I drove him to the precinct. People are also reading.
.. A former Sooner will be Mike Gundy's last resort at QB this season $2.
5 billion Vinita theme park to be delayed years, but developers say they are still all in More Tulsa County restaurants fail inspections as inspectors strive to reduce foodborne illnesses Berry Tramel's Oxford travelblog: Ole Miss is not the same place it once was Long lines for early voting at Tulsa County Election Board locations POLL CLOSED: Vote for the Bill Knight Automotive high school football player of the week for Week 8 McAlester places head football coach Forrest Mazey on administrative leave Kevin Wilson’s social media account spars with fans, media, former TU AD after historic comeback Lawsuit claims downtown DGX store is a public nuisance, should be closed Tulsa stuns UTSA with miraculous second-half comeback on homecoming Berry Tramel: No stretch to say that the Sooners were better with Joe Jon Finley Sapulpa artist goes viral with pumpkin carvings of Taylor Swift, Beyonce, more Outside groups pour money into defeat of Supreme Court justices, passage of state question How much time does Brent Venables have to turn OU around? 'People's minds are made up.' Berry Tramel: Has OSU quit? The Cowboys' lack of tackling at Baylor would suggest so For municipal races, he was motivated after his hand-me-down car bottomed out on a pothole and more panhandlers approached him for money. I texted him candidate positions on those issues.
Hint: Gen Z gets facts only from mobile devices. That time, he drove himself and had the “I Voted” sticker to prove it. “I see how the local stuff matters.
But the Electoral College in a state like Oklahoma means my vote doesn’t matter for president,” he said. I thought he was referencing the all-or-nothing slate of presidential electors. Then Sen.
Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, had another interpretation he described during a panel discussion at last week’s annual town hall of the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals. Perhaps voters believe that no matter who wins, nothing will change. Add in the amped up division and anger over elections, and more people are opting out.
“I think it’s more than just voter apathy. I think it’s down to the point that simply says, ‘I am disengaging from this hostile, toxic environment because of polarization,’” Thompson said. “We’ve got to get the American people back to voting.
We’ve got to get the people back engaged in democracy, and we do that by civil discourse.” For the past couple of decades, the way elected leaders interact has been growing more combative. Thompson said that when he was first elected in 2014, bipartisan work was happening at the Oklahoma Capitol.
“Today, if you even indicate that you’re working with the other side of the aisle, there’s difficulty, and that polarization comes out,” he said. Returning to a focus on ideas and policies instead of on people is a start. But more must be done to stop the stoking of fear-mongering among neighbors.
“A little bit of disagreement leads to democracy,” Thompson said. “The idea that if I ever disagree with you, then I am on the outs with you and your political party — and not only on the outs with you, but I’m going to try to destroy you in the future — leads us to the apathy that we are involved in today.” Making a significant difference in my son’s attitude about voting were a few weeks of signature collection for a citizen’s petition.
He saw how people could take civic change into their own hands. That citizen’s measure failed, but my son saw the power of a vote at the local levels. It took that hands-on experience.
The principle that American people drive the direction of communities ought to be more of a comfort, former House Speaker Chris Benge said on the Oklahoma Academy panel. “We ought to have a more optimistic view because, keep in mind that as long as the American Constitution is in place, there are three different branches,” Benge said. “We have checks and balances that could balance out some of the things that maybe we don’t necessarily like about our current structure.
” “Young people are passionate about the issues. Young people are the conscience of America,” said former gubernatorial candidate and former state Rep. Joe Dorman, now CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy.
“They are the ones who are pushing politicians to make tough decisions. The more young people who get engaged, the better off we’re going to see our system, because it forces politicians to take tough stances.” However, young voters don’t vote in great numbers.
Since 1964, 18- to 29-year-olds have had the lowest voter turnout. A bright spot came in the 2022 midterms, when 18- to 29-year-olds hit a 30-year high for voter turnover, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University. About half are expected to cast a ballot in this presidential election, according to a University of Harvard poll .
Young generations always set new courses for the country. Gen Z is just now entering the voting pool, and their effect has yet to be felt. But rising costs of basic needs like housing and college are front of mind.
“I’m voting for president now, and it’s about health care,” my son said. Just as that generation gets news differently, they are much more shrewd about analysis. They don’t believe much of what they read and see.
Candidates making claims better bring the receipts. “Young people are very tolerant,” said Seth McKee, a political science professor at Oklahoma State University. “They really don’t like hate, and they don’t like division.
One of the most inspiring things for me over the years teaching is that just seems to be the case. “I have a lot of faith in the youngest generation to not take the bait and not divide as much as these older generations have.”.
