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Allison Low (left) and Elena Garcia work an anti-war booth at Georgia State University. Despite the rise of computerized ballots, Ms. Garcia says she and many of her peers remain apathetic about voting.
BRIAN BASINGER/MORRIS NEWS SERVICE |
ATLANTA - Georgia is rolling out its new computer voting system next week, but election experts don't expect the technology to attract a massive influx of young voters.
While most college-age students have had Macs or PCs in their homes since grade school, the chance to vote by computer isn't making them heed the call of their civic duty, said Michael Mills, the director of the nonpartisan Vote for America.
"I think it will help in the long term, but in the short term, it's still a new phenomenon for most folks," said Mr. Mills, whose organization works to sign up new voters throughout the state.
New technology alone can't combat the general apathy most young adults exhibit when it comes to voting, Mr. Mills said.
"Young people just don't see the connection between government and their lives," he said.
At the University of Georgia, elections for student government have been held on the school's computer system since the mid-1990s. Yet it is rare for more than 20 percent of the school's 24,000 undergraduate students to cast ballots, even though they can vote on campus or from home.
"They just don't care," said Kyle Gause, a 22-year-old business major from Atlanta.
In 1998, nearly 19 percent of registered voters age 18 to 24 cast ballots in the general election, making them the demographic group least likely to vote, Mr. Mills said. This year, Vote for America predicts the numbers will be about the same for young adults, perhaps rising to 20 percent of those eligible.
Elena Garcia, a 23-year-old Spanish major at Georgia State University in Atlanta, said she doubts computer ballots can change the belief held by many young adults that politics is corrupt.
"I think people just don't see it effecting real change and a lot of them feel they're looking for the lesser of two evils when voting," Ms. Garcia said.
Some young people choose to become politically involved in ways other than voting, said Ms. Garcia, who recently joined a student group protesting the proposed war against Iraq.
"I don't believe you can change stuff in the system through voting," she said.
Cathy Cox, Georgia's secretary of state, said she hopes the switch to touch-screen voting will encourage young people to turn out in future elections. Ms. Cox, whose office oversaw the purchase and distribution of Georgia's 19,000 touch-screen machines, said her office doesn't expect a large increase in young voters, but she is optimistic.
"We've done demonstrations in colleges and high schools. I'd like to think that might intrigue younger voters to come out and participate," Ms. Cox said.
Overall, Ms. Cox predicts 54 percent of active registered voters will turn out at the polls Tuesday.
Although a 54-percent turnout would be a record for a nonpresidential election, Ms. Cox cautions that the elevated number reflects an improvement in electronic record-keeping and not necessarily a decrease in voter apathy.
Reach Brian Basinger at (404) 589-8424 or mnews@mindspring.com.
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