An essay by Leila Rouhi '01 was selected as the best out of a field of nearly 9,000 entries to win the "Why Don't We Vote" essay contest sponsored by the Center for Voting and Democracy.

Leila Rouhi '01 Wins “Why Don't We Vote” Essay Contest What began as a midterm essay assignment in politics professor Douglas J. Amy's class on electoral systems has resulted in a lot more than a grade for Leila Rouhi '01. Last February, Amy asked his students to write an essay on the topic “Why Don't We [as in young people] Vote?,” which was also the subject of an essay contest for young people being run by the Center for Voting and Democracy, a nonpartisan organization that studies the impact of electoral systems and redistricting on voter turnout, representation, and electoral competition. “I suggested that students might like to submit their essays to the contest,” says Amy “but no one mentioned that they did.” That is, until Rouhi emailed him to inform him that out of nearly 9,000 entries, her essay had been selected as the winner. “She also ribbed me about getting only an A- on the essay,” recalls Amy, who says he gives very few As. Amy, who describes Rouhi as an excellent student who “is always questioning things, including my assumptions,” says that he is not surprised that her piece won. “It was a good paper, one of the best in the class, in fact,” he says. Rouhi, who admits to having known “close to nothing about the subject [of electoral systems] before taking Professor Amy's course,” submitted her essay to the contest and then didn't think much about it, until learning that her piece had won the $1,000 grand prize. A notable group of judges—that included a Hollywood film director and a former White House general counsel—made the decision. Rouhi received her award at an October 16 news conference at the United States Capitol in Washington. Rob Richie, director of the Center for Voting and Democracy, which advocates greater youth participation, and Warwick Sabin, a congressional aide who was among twelve other contest participants honored for their essays, appeared with Rouhi. “Given the all-time low in youth turnout in the 1998 congressional elections and rampant evidence of plummeting political participation by young people, the question [of why they don't vote] clearly is timely,” according to the democracy center. “We also wanted to ask young people what they thought we should do about this decline in participation.” Read the best contest essays from each state at http://www.fairvote.org/contest/winners.htm.

Political inactivity on the part of young Americans stems from one fundamental source—a general cynicism about the American political process. This disdain for politics is further perpetuated by a lack of voter education and a needlessly archaic voting procedure that creates barriers to voting where they need not exist. While many of these existing problems can be rectified with relative ease through the implementation of programs such as Internet voting and better voter education—such programs create only a partial solution.

It will take great strides to create a system in which American citizens will be represented in the political process, and only then will young Americans be truly compelled to vote. One way to achieve this goal is through the adoption of a system of proportional representation. This, paired with the implementation of Internet voting, increased voter education, and same-day voting will ensure a rise in voter turnouts and youth participation in government.

Regardless of the political environment, it is the responsibility of voters to take initiative in becoming politically involved. However, the current electoral system in the United States is not one that fosters voter participation, but instead often discourages voting altogether. This is evidenced through the lackluster voter turnout in the United States, which is amongst the lowest of any democratic nation. While it is convenient to blame this lack of democratic participation on a lazy and apathetic public, the root of the problem lies elsewhere. The current system of winner-take-all elections, strategic gerrymandering, incumbency advantage, and governmental unresponsiveness to constituent desires is enough to deter even the most politically conscious person from voting. For many young voters, the realization that their vote is likely to have little impact on the outcome of elections, not surprisingly, prevents them from becoming involved in the electoral process altogether. Only through the removal of these systemic flaws, which cause skepticism about the importance of voting, will voter participation be increased and democracy better achieved.

One alternative voting procedure that will alleviate the lack of voter participation is proportional representation. Through the implementation of a PR system, the voice of more American voters can be heard—and a more representative government created. The exorbitant amount of wasted votes that exist under today's system will be greatly reduced. The lower threshold of votes needed to elect a candidate under PR will allow smaller groups to elect representative officials more in tune with their political philosophy without having to constitute the majority of the voting body. This also translates into the vote of each person carrying a greater weight, thus giving that person more of an incentive to become involved in the political process. By providing a greater number of people voting incentives, paired with the increased likelihood that third-party candidates can be voted in, PR insures a more representative government that will better serve the American people.

Furthermore, PR will eliminate much of the opportunity to predetermine elections through the mastery of gerrymandering, again allowing for a more accurately representative government. The system of majority rule is far too static to be adequate for the dynamic needs of the American people, and especially American youth. Proportional representation, on the other hand, allows for the evolution of American thought by creating a governing body that will change with the electorate, rather than one that continually alienates voters by ignoring their demands.

Providing a more representative system is the first measure in ensuring that young Americans will take part in the electoral process, but the adoption of PR alone is not enough. Americans, starting from a young age, need to be better educated about the political process and the issues that they will face as voters. The ideological platform of various parties should be introduced to students, so that when they come of voting age they have the background to vote for the parties that will best represent their interests. The better informed youth are about the facts of issues, the more informed a decision they could make during elections.

Education of youth about political matters, then, will prevent them from voting based on propaganda and buzzwords and force them to focus on the reality of the issues at hand. Furthermore, educating young Americans about political issues will not only instill the importance of voting in the minds of future generations, but will also help in getting older Americans to participate in elections. Just as parents can educate their children, children too can educate their elders about the need for political participation, encouraging them to vote. With all of these benefits, its is clear that the education of youth in electoral issues should be given more emphasis. Being informed about the effects of existing legislation, the process of running for office and the current political events are as important as learning about literature and chemistry, and should be regarded as such.

Greater ease in casting ballots will also aid in increasing voter participation. While the entire nation has made phenomenal strides in technological advance, it seems that methods of voting have not been improved. While the Internet has the potential to provide a great deal of ease for voters, allowing them to vote from the comfort of their home or even from a dorm room seven states away, the possibilities of Internet voting are not being even remotely utilized. States should begin to offer Internet voting and registration as a supplement to already existing options. For those who do not own a computer, vote by mail can also be a plausible and indispensable alternative.

Americans are often told that every vote counts, but unfortunately in today's system this is false, and a great deal of our votes count for nothing at all. By implementing proportional representation, however, America as a nation will be moving toward actually making every vote count and every perspective heard. Proportional representation, if used in conjunction with programs to increase voter awareness and voting ease, will make youth more politically involved and ensure a more democratic democracy.