BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : NOVEMBER 27, 2000 ISSUE
COVER STORY Commentary: The Young and the (Still) Listless Somewhere, your old social studies teacher is smiling. After enduring decades of rolled eyes, shrugs, and ''whatevers'' from students, the 2000 election has become the telegenic civics lesson of a lifetime. And for the first time since these two less-than-dazzling candidates began their quest for the Oval Office, it has captured the rapt attention of teenagers and college kids. ''I guess I could have made a difference,'' says Henry C. Brown, a 23-year-old geography major at New Mexico State University. Could have, but didn't. Brown never bothered to register this year. And Brown has plenty of company among his peers. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, who make up 22% of the total voting population, just 38% of those eligible actually voted on Nov. 7. That compares to about 51% for older voters. So will the interest generated by the nail-biting, knock-down post-election fight between George W. Bush and Al Gore bring an end to the political ennui among young adults anytime soon? Don't count on it. Even though college kids have been glued to CNN, the unparalleled drama of this wackiest of elections seems unlikely to generate any lasting engagement by young voters. ''It's just a spontaneous thing, and when this is all over, it's going to die down,'' says Sinan Toprak, who teaches introductory government at Kirtland Community College in Roscommon, Mich. Even before the election, polls showed that young voters remain deeply suspicious of politicians. It didn't help that both the Bush and Gore camps paid scant attention to the under-25 set during the campaign. Now, with the legal wrangling stretching on well past a week, chances are young voters' disenchantment with politicians will only increase. ''Young adults are more susceptible to being turned off...than other generations,'' says Russ Freyman, director of a project at Third Millennium, a youth advocacy group. Beyond that, peacetime and a strong economy don't leave too many issues for young voters to get all that exercised over. Other than a small but vocal group inflamed over anticorporate and environmental issues, young voters remain mostly disengaged, according to Richard Prosser, executive director of Junior State of America, a nonpartisan government organization for 100,000 high school students. The only candidate who did resonate with voters under 25 was Green Party nominee Ralph Nader, who got his strongest support--5%--from 18- to 24-year-olds. ''With Gore and Bush, it's just money, money, money,'' says 20-year-old Nina N. Mehlhaf, a junior at the University of Oregon who supported Nader but ended up voting for Gore. Next time around, whoever the Presidential candidates are, they may want to pay more attention to such disaffected voices. Maybe then more young adults will vote--and help make a difference in a tight race. By Dennis K. Berman Staff Editor Berman, 26, played Walter Mondale in his elementary school mock election. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS The Economy: Passing a Dimmer Torch COVER IMAGE: The New President's Economy CHART: Growth Slows...As Tech Demand Weakens...Manufacturing Dips... CHART: ...The Stock Market Declines...The Trade Gap Explodes...And Corporate Debt Surges TABLE: Turbulence Ahead The Alan Greenspan of OPEC? CHART: Fill 'Er Up Can the Market Regain Its Balance? CHART: Scaling Back Expectations CHART: Losing the Investor Vote TABLE: The View from Four Wall Street Gurus Commentary: The Pitfalls of One Person, One Vote TABLE: Where the Votes Are TABLE: No Electoral College Sleight of Hand at the Polls TABLE: Tricks of the Trade Is There Any Help for the ``Hanging Chad''? Commentary: The Young and the (Still) Listless INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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