Getting the younger generation to vote

My 18 year old son, and his sister before him, are both very interested in politics. I have no idea why as I wasn't at their age, but my father was, and told me about why it was important that I should vote, and I did the same with my children. Last year my son was very proud to go and vote for the first time, and has now joined the student union as a representative. Maybe it is something that has to be explained by the parents in the first instance. If they are not bothered to explain to their children that only if everyone votes can there be a change, then it cannot work.

I do remember at school that we were told how the system works and why we should be vote, but if not every pupil is taught that, then that won't work either. It would have to be included in something that all sixth formers take. This is now more feasible since they are now planning to keep all children in some form of education until they are 18.

I was teaching refugees and asylum seekers in 2001. The day after the General Election, my students persuaded me to abandon the prepared lesson and tell them about our system of democracy, since they all came from countries where democracy was (is?) still a dream - Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan. As I was, at the time, still a local councillor, I was able to give them information from the grassroots upwards. It wasn't the planned lesson, but they did learn plenty of new vocabulary and concepts. I would never have had the same interest and enthusiasm from students who had grown up taking democracy and human rights for granted.

No, you wouldn't, but at least the information would be there in the back of their minds. It's probably barely there at all at the moment.

Maybe we are looking at it the wrong way. Maybe people aren't bothering because they are reasonably happy with the way things are, and only come out in force when they feel threatened.

I have voted and felt strongly that I should when I was younger. Politics wasn't something I grew up understanding, it wasn't discussed at home but I felt that as women had struggled for the right I ought to do my bit too. However, I didn't pass my ideas or conviction on to my own children who don't vote - they don't think their votes matter and I can sympathise with that as I often question the value of my X too.

In recent weeks I've been reading a lot about politics and our current system and wondering if Russell Brand has it right - not voting is a vote against what's on offer (I think that's what he means) - or if there is another way. I've concluded that we should vote, we should tell our politicians what we think rather than grumbling about them and doing nothing. How to get the younger generations involved? Introduce them to politics and the idea that as individuals we can have a say from an early age - conduct discussions and mock elections in schools, perhaps have more student involvement with the running of schools as a working example of how government works, show them why their voices matter and why apathy doesn't work, get them involved and make them think.

We used to have mock elections when I was at school. Do schools not do it now? I think school subjects should undergo a revamp and reflect not only the past (which is does quite well) but also every day life. Local politics should be one of these subjects

Now I come to think of it, our debating society at school had mock elections and some political debates too. I spoke in opposition to the motion that 'the Act of Union has been a curse to Scotland'. I lost.

I've heard some schools did/do teach politics and get pupils involved and think it's a good strategy. Personally, I don't ever remember politics being taught at my school so if it's not introduced at home nor school how can you catch the young voters?

Our history teacher was a rabid Scottish Nationalist - probably before Alex Salmond was born - but his attempts at indoctrination mostly fell on deaf ears.

My lad teaches SOSE (Study of Society and Environment) so politics comes into it a bit. He has to be careful what he says, so he teaches them to deconstruct the bullshit they hear and see on the various media, particularly TV. They watch a news program from the night before, which he's recorded from commercial TV, then go through it and 'translate' it into the real facts, often realising in the process that the truth is far from what is being presented.

He says he finds many pupils, who are aged 15-18 as he teaches grades 10-12, become far more left wing in this process. Our commercial media is extremely right wing, being owned mainly by the loathsome Rupert Murdoch. Some parents don't like it, but he never pushes one political party - he simply teaches the kids to watch and analyse. Other parents absolutely love it, and say the TV news is fun at home now, as their kids deconstruct the news with hilarious results.

Of course, this being Australia, once they turn 18 they are required by law to turn up to a polling station and put in a ballot paper (which they could spoil or leave blank if they want, of course).

What happens if you don't vote Joan?

I like the sound of your son's lessons - being taught to think is all it takes but so many seem to leave school just absorbing information without question (that included me - the questioning only came years later).

I do remember one teacher telling my 7 year old to tell his parents to vote for XXX because XXX (she suggested letting the other party in would mean the end of the world as we know it). That was out of order but giving a balanced view would have been more useful.

If you don't turn up to vote without a valid reason, you get a A$20 fine (GBP 10.71).

I don't think any teacher would get away with pushing any one political agenda - well, not openly. But teaching working class kids to think, probably has a predicable left-leaning result!!

I went to an English grammar school back in the 50s and 60s and they made a point of teaching us to think for ourselves, but I realised much later the school was unusual and a bit ahead of its time in this.

Actually, Joan, it was clever of you to vote at 19 in 1964, as the voting age wasn't lowered to 18 until 1970.
I remember being very annoyed because as I reached 21 they lowered the age to 18.

I have often been of the opinion that politics in school can be a dangerous thing but what is the alternative.

I must say that I am possibly on my own when I say this but here goes, broad shoulders and all that.

I am worried when I see comments like :-

" I don't think any teacher would get away with pushing any one political agenda - well, NOT OPENLY. But teaching working class kids to think, probably has a predictable LEFT-LEANING result".

I only hope at some stage our children who have been taught by left/right wing teachers in our schools and Universities learn to think for themselves and process information without bias.

I am even more convinced that 16 is not the right age to have a vote, even if it is for that reason alone.

There is now hard evidence that 'fraud' with regard to voting has taken place and I believe that you should attend a Polling Station, with ID and only the Registered Disabled should be given a postal vote.

Actually, POGS, that's why I taught English rather than sociology, because in sociology you would have to try to give both points of view, and I just would not be able to.
Not that many right wing first world war poets or angry young men writing novels and plays.

*Actually, Joan, it was clever of you to vote at 19 in 1964, as the voting age wasn't lowered to 18 until 1970.
I remember being very annoyed because as I reached 21 they lowered the age to 18.*

Must have remembered it wrong - maybe I just went to the polling station with Dad and actually voted at the next election.

That's probably it, Joan. I remember when we lived in Hampshire we took our kids to the polling station for the count, as my husband stood for the council. He doubled the labour vote, and got over a hundred!
My two sons have always voted, and my granddaughter, 20, votes when she can, i.e. in local elections. I know she will vote next year.
Her mother used to canvas for labour when she lived in Newcastle. Didn't need to, as there is not a single Tory councillor there.

Even my 9 and 11-year-old GC are politically aware which comes of having politically outspoken parents and grandparents. Last year, GS was his class rep on the school council and took his duties as seriously as any shop steward, relaying complaints to management.

I am doubtful as to whether young people of 16 really do have a political opinion of their own or is "their" opinion really just whatever their parents have brainwashed them into believing?

Just wondering.

So what's the solution to that, Gillybob? We should not talk politics in front of our children in case we warp their pure minds?

Kids get their ideas about the rest of the world in the same way so why should politics be any different? It helps if children are encouraged to question and think rather than just digest and regurgitate...

We always talked politics at home with our sons, as did my own parents. They were strong Labour, so when I was around 12, I decided I was a Tory, but I knew whatever political position I took other than Labour I would have to defend it around the family dinner table. So I researched it as well as a 12 year old can, and failed to find any grounds for a working class family to be Tories. So I remained a leftie!

My own lads are still Labour, though they are both army officers in the Australian Army Reserve, and one lad is a bit posh (don't ask me why - he just speaks posh Australian English - always did.) He's a catholic high school teacher in charge of a department, but has never gone right wing.

I never felt I was doing them a disservice by being political and discussing Labour politics, and trade union matters. We did tell them that their vote was their own, and they should decide for themselves. They are both in their unions too.

Durhamjen I haven't the foggiest what you are talking about?

How I agree with Eloethan"s first paragraphs - what are the alternatives indeed! Is it me getting older but why is it all our politicians seem about 12 years old? Or is it perhaps they merely lack gravitas.

I've voted in every election since I became eligible - 21 - and am your typical floating voter although I'll never, ever float the Tory way again. Like Golden Girl, our secondary school held mock elections and they were really good fun. It certainly got everyone engaged in what was going on in the outside world.

Like others have mentioned in this post, I've always tried to impress on my three daughters just what a privilege it is to have a vote and the dreadful things that the suffragettes endured to make that possible for women. They took that on board and now I feel a slight glow of pleasure as I hear my words being directed at their daughters - so they did listen after all!

And what I also think an important point is that if you don't vote, you lose your right to complain.

Just one last comment, I really don't think MPs do themselves any favours when it comes to events such as Prime Minister's Questions. They seem to be a load of badly behaved children - mostly the men, but then, there are a lot of them!

I think it's important to turn up at the polling station, even if it's only to spoil your voting paper (which I haven't done to date, though perhaps I should have). The problem is that a spoilt ballot paper doesn't indicate protest - it may mean that the person voting just completed it incorrectly.

I think that, as Russell Brand suggested, a box entitled "None of the Above" would at least give people the chance to register their dissatisfaction with all the candidates available.

However, despite the fact that I'm almost completely disenchanted with the first-past-the-post system and the consequent lack of real choice, I would be very reluctant to go for this option as I would hate the Conservatives/ConDems to get in again.

Never mind the younger generation, our (Tory) Queensland State Government is trying to stop many of the older generation and marginalised people from voting too.

The are going to force people to show current photo ID before being allowed to vote. This means people without a drivers license or other such ID will have to purchase ID which they may well not be able to afford, at around A$25 (UKP 12.50 ish). Many Aborigines don't even have birth certificates, and the more marginalised people have no paperwork at all.

I took part in a little film made by GetUp.org about this - I'm only on for about 2 seconds, watering my plants and drinking a cuppa - I'm supposed to represent the elderly, I think (grrr) Never mind, all the ones shown only said what I had said. Here it is:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFt94dv6mlo

Oh, and the GetUP website:
https://www.getup.org.au/campaigns

(They haven't yet got the voting video on the website: it only came out 2 days ago.)