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Democratic Action Research (DARE) and Large Scale Simulations: Teaching Political Literacy and Civic Engagement at Pace University's Presidential Convention 2004

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2005

Christopher Malone  and
Gregory Julian
Christopher Malone
Affiliation:
Pace University
Gregory Julian
Affiliation:
Pace University
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Extract

The last vote was counted in the 2004 presidential election and old debates began anew about the causes of low turnout of those between the ages of 18 and 24. Despite an unprecedented amount of time and effort spent on turning out the youth vote, the data suggest that only about half of the eligible voters between the ages of 18 and 24 cast a vote for president. The good news is that, indeed, this year's figures reverse a downward trend in voter turnout amongst the youth; the bad news is that every age bracket increased in voting and youth voting still lagged behind other age groups by significant margins. Scholars have once again cited evidence of political apathy and alienation among young people; they have referred to studies that reveal widespread ignorance of American politics and history in our nation's high schools and colleges. Dire predictions will continue about the bleak future of American democracy due to the ostensible lack of knowledge and interest in the American political system among our newest voters. Despite studies showing increases in volunteerism, service, and civic engagement, the low voter turnout will dominate the debate about civic education.The authors would like to thank David A. Caputo, president of Pace University, for funding PC2004.

Type
The Teacher
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 38 , Issue 4 , October 2005 , pp. 771 - 776
Copyright
© 2005 The American Political Science Association

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