Thursday, December 29, 2005
Assm. Horton Calls on Leaders to Support Young Democrats
Assemblymember Jerome Horton (D-51) is submitting a resolution in the California State Assembly on behalf of California Young Democrats to encourage political parties and government to support the "youth vote" (US!!). Please look it over and give feedback. We'll be talking about it at the CA Young Dems. Meeting on January 28th at the Manhattan Beach Marriott.
Draft Language:
WHEREAS, Young voters between the ages of 18-35 are becoming an increasingly large segment of the voting population and deserve the attention of political stakeholders on all levels of government, political parties, the media and general public and,
WHEREAS, According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), in 2004, the country witnessed the highest turnout among young voters since 1992, with 20.1 million Americans under the age of 30 going to the polls and,
WHEREAS, In 2004, 16 percent of the total votes were cast by those under the age of 30 and,
WHEREAS, In spite of the recent gains, political parties on the federal, state, and national levels, continue to treat the youth vote as a second thought and have not fully devoted the resources necessary to increase their participation and,
WHEREAS, A recent survey taken of local party leaders from throughout the country suggests that very few of them believe young voters are essential to the long-term success of the party and,
WHEREAS, The same survey found that most local party leaders believe their focus should be on helping candidates win elections as opposed to building a loyal supporters, which will be the to the detriment of political parties as they consider their long-term viability and,
WHEREAS, Both major national political parties acknowledge their shortcomings with youth participation and voting and concede that new techniques must be established to reach this new generation of voters, and
WHEREAS, Young voters are not an anomaly, they share many of the same priorities as older voters, ranking “Moral Values,” the economy, terrorism, and the war in Iraq as their greatest concern and,
WHEREAS, While young voters may also be concerned with issues such as the cost of higher education and job training, and understand that many issues which do not currently affect them will eventually affect their everyday lives which further illustrates the need to participate in the process, therefore
Be it RESOLVED by the Assembly, that the State of California recognizes the importance of youth civic participation as essential to the future of our democracy and urges every organization involved in the electoral process and every level of government to focus its energies on encouraging youth participation wherever possible.
Draft Language:
WHEREAS, Young voters between the ages of 18-35 are becoming an increasingly large segment of the voting population and deserve the attention of political stakeholders on all levels of government, political parties, the media and general public and,
WHEREAS, According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), in 2004, the country witnessed the highest turnout among young voters since 1992, with 20.1 million Americans under the age of 30 going to the polls and,
WHEREAS, In 2004, 16 percent of the total votes were cast by those under the age of 30 and,
WHEREAS, In spite of the recent gains, political parties on the federal, state, and national levels, continue to treat the youth vote as a second thought and have not fully devoted the resources necessary to increase their participation and,
WHEREAS, A recent survey taken of local party leaders from throughout the country suggests that very few of them believe young voters are essential to the long-term success of the party and,
WHEREAS, The same survey found that most local party leaders believe their focus should be on helping candidates win elections as opposed to building a loyal supporters, which will be the to the detriment of political parties as they consider their long-term viability and,
WHEREAS, Both major national political parties acknowledge their shortcomings with youth participation and voting and concede that new techniques must be established to reach this new generation of voters, and
WHEREAS, Young voters are not an anomaly, they share many of the same priorities as older voters, ranking “Moral Values,” the economy, terrorism, and the war in Iraq as their greatest concern and,
WHEREAS, While young voters may also be concerned with issues such as the cost of higher education and job training, and understand that many issues which do not currently affect them will eventually affect their everyday lives which further illustrates the need to participate in the process, therefore
Be it RESOLVED by the Assembly, that the State of California recognizes the importance of youth civic participation as essential to the future of our democracy and urges every organization involved in the electoral process and every level of government to focus its energies on encouraging youth participation wherever possible.
