Organizations that try to get people to vote need to realize this.
The MSU College of Education released a study last week showing low-income youth are more likely to vote if their home and social climate emphasizes civic engagement.

The survey also showed low-income youth were more likely to vote if influenced by family or friends rather than by a teacher or a professor.

And that’s not just for low-income youth ­— that’s a commonsense conclusion for all young voters. If everyone around you is voting and is interested in voting, then most likely you’ll vote.
But the problem is getting those who are initially disinterested to go out and vote. Rock the Vote and similar campaigns just aren’t the way to do that.

Many voters feel the system is so broken they can’t do anything about it. And it’s not just that the system — the economy, education, employment, health care, etc. — is broken; it’s a loss of faith in the process of voting itself.

Why should someone vote when they don’t think their vote counts? What’s one lost vote?

The truth is, one lost vote doesn’t mean all that much. John Doe’s lack of casting a ballot isn’t going to be the deciding factor of an election, but if John Doe doesn’t feel his vote counts, and Jane Doe doesn’t feel hers counts, and if they teach little John Doe Jr. his vote doesn’t matter, then soon, no one will think their vote counts. If everyone thinks their vote doesn’t count, then no one will vote, which in a democracy is not acceptable.

The challenge is getting young voters and their peers to believe in the system again. They have grown up in a world of economic hardships. It’s not that big of a logical leap to see economic hardships disillusioning young voters, and Lady Gaga on a voting soapbox isn’t going to fix that.

Restoring faith in the system is the only way to go. When people think they can have a real impact on the world around them, they are more likely to participate. For the youth of America, an interest in voting needs to come from family and friends caring about the issues, not just from caring about voting. Voting for the sake of voting is not a good thing, and no one will vote just to do so. People are motivated to vote when they are informed about issues. Going to the election polls isn’t exactly a person’s idea of a fun day out.

Voting does matter, and so does getting American youth to vote, but stop treating youth like they are stupid. People care about what’s going on around them if they feel connected to it. So, stop rocking the vote and start restoring the hope.