The Student Association for Voter Empowerment is committed to increasing accessibility for young people in the political process. Hosting a discussion and debate of youth oriented issues is an effective means to accomplishing this goal. It is crucial for elected officials to speak with youth because the perceived distance between political figures and the youth constituency is one of the primary reasons for youth disengagement. By promoting open dialogue among politicians and young adults, SAVE intends to break the perception that politics is limited to older generations. Furthermore, as a nonpartisan organization, SAVE strives to disprove the notion that political engagement is equivalent to strict partisanship. Thus, the forum will serve as a model for the type of educated and informed discourse that we hope can vanquish the bias inherent to today’s discussion of politics and youth participation.

 

 

The SAVE town hall forum will consist of a panel of current and former elected officials, with representation split between the Democratic and Republican parties. Moderated by SAVE staff members, the aim is to formulate a bipartisan solution to the general problem of civic disengagement that faces today’s youth. The panel will also address questions from the youth audience in any field the attendees wish to explore in order to show young people that legislators are accessible and interested. Both the question and answer session and the panel discussion seek to empower youth to challenge, trust and support their leaders, particularly in regards to the voting process and the resolution of pressing issues (such as college affordability, environmental protection, the job market, and the draft).

 

 

How do you think the polarization of the parties resulting from negative politics and attack ads affects young people's tendency to get involved in politics? Should something be done to lessen the negative campaigning?