Why to Pledge

In 2008, younger citizens (18-24) had the lowest voting rate (49 percent), while citizens who fell into older age groups (45-64 and 65-plus) had the highest voting rates (69 percent and 70 percent, respectively).

Voters 18 to 24 were the only age group to show a statistically significant increase in turnout, reaching 49 percent in 2008 compared with 47 percent in 2004, which is still below 50 percent.

Young people found themselves shafted by their lack of voting participation. Older citizens come out in masses to vote for their representatives and are therefore given many benefits from the government such as medicare and social security.  Politicians are more aware of their voter's needs based on who their voters are, the majority of voters are old and politicians feel the need to appease their voters.

Meanwhile, young people have to put up with such propositions as a 60-student class size, military draft, continuous cuts to finicial aid and grants while they are taxed to help pay for rising social security costs. 

The bottom line is that fewer and fewer tax-payer dollars are allocated to programs that  benefit young people as the percentage of active young voters diminishes.  Politicians and policy makers don't take the needs and concerns of today's youth into account simply because they are not a reliable source of votes come election day.

Just as our founding fathers rallied around the offense of "No taxation without representation," young people today are unrepresented and politically malnourished by the government. Unlike our founding founders, however, today's youth are not at the mercy of a tranical monoarch, they CHOOSE not to vote and, in turn, they CHOOSE to be underepresented. 

The goal of this site is to reverse this trend and once again make the voice of today's youth heard, delivering to them the political power that they have so long ignored.