Politics is a subject most young people do not concern themselves with. Many students do not understand the relevance of local, state and national politics in their lives.

In fact, politics on every level have a dramatic effect on many aspects of student life. You have the national issues such as federal tax cuts and job creation, state issues like tuition costs and city services such as parking, road building and street plowing. Decisions made by politicians affect young people as much as any other group.

People ages 18 to 24 have typically voted at a much lower rate than any other eligible age. In 2000, 36.1 percent of voters in that age range voted in the national elections. Older voters participated at a rate of plus or minus 70 percent.

Disparity between the two voting populations and general apathy among young people in the political process has led politicians to be unresponsive to the needs and demands of the younger population.

Apathy among young voters is not a recent phenomenon. Since the installation of free elections, young voters typically have voted in a smaller proportion relative to older generations. Now, however, young voters are fighting back.

The New Voters Project is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that maintains an objective of getting young people out to vote in local, state and national elections.

Wisconsin is one of the states targeted by the organization for various reasons, including a plentiful and accessible population of young people and the political culture of the state. The New Voters Project is operating on the UW-Eau Claire campus and the impact of the organization’s efforts already has been apparent.

In the Democratic and City Council primary elections, the voter turnout rate in Ward 20 on campus jumped from 7.8 percent of registered voters to 23.4 percent. Of course, this was due to a number of factors, including a highly publicized primary and a number of students running for At Large seats on the City Council.

The New Voters Project played an integral role in the turnout of young voters in the election. The organization’s function in this election was to inform and assist the students about operational features, such as voter registration, proof of residence and polling locations.

New voters often need motivation and guidance to help them better understand the operation of voting and make the process less intimidating. Intimidation can and does often deter young voters from voting.

The New Voters Project focuses on breaking barriers that contribute to young voter apathy. Overall, the New Voters Project succeeded in registering 500 new voters before election day, making the polls easily accessible and less intimidating to young people.

Wisconsin will be a decisive battle ground in the upcoming national elections. With the guidance of the New Voters Project, young people could be the deciding factor. If this becomes the case, politicians will be more careful in regards to the young population in the decisions that they make.

Young people can be a decisive force in the politics of the United States. Too often we are disregarded as ignorant of our interests regarding political issues. This makes young voters vulnerable to exploitation and influence by politicians.

Young voters must show we will not tolerate this any longer.