My vote doesn't count. They don't speak my language. My issues are not addressed. These are the most common remarks that you hear from young people when asked why they do not vote or bother to read up on political issues. In both India and the US, the legal voting age is 18. When the law changed in America in the 1970's, the percentage of young people voting in the electorate reduced every Presidential election. The youth in India also feel disaffected from politics and sees how it has no effect on their life. In a population that has a large percentage in the 18-35 age bracket, there seems to be an overrepresentation of people 65 and over in Parliament. This reflects in the overall low voter turnout in the Spring 2004 Lok Sabha elections among the middle class youth. The less that people feel involved or have faith in the democratic process, the less relevance it will be given over time. Instead of elected public officials making decisions based on their constituents, the main influence lies in special interest groups and others who finance re elections. The solution must be found where we can re invigorate the future generations to realize their power as a voter and to hold public officials accountable.

The Internet has become a medium that has given youth a voice in policy making at national, state, and local levels. Former presidential candidate Howard Dean knew the Internet to be a great weapon in raising money and getting young people to volunteer for him because he knew the best way to win an election is to get new people involved. Besides being able to contribute money to candidates they support, net users have been able to influence legislation by writing letters to their local congressmen with their concerns. A recent example of this is students from Moveon.org sending numerous phone calls and emails to Capitol Hill representatives voicing opinion against the Iraq war in 2002. While the war went on, opposition to it grew and is still growing to this day. Another one can be seen where Christian conservative voters in early 2004 sent solidarity phone calls and emails to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in not removing General Boykin from the Pentagon, a man who claimed the war on terror was a religious one.

Young people could easily send emails to their representatives saying they want funding for higher education and less tuition increases. They can push for programs that call for universal health insurance coverage (in the US) while they still look for work. If they care strong enough about an issue and want their voices heard, their representatives are not hard to reach. If many youths were to send mass emails pertaining to certain issues, public officials are forced to take notice and mention them when interacting with their constituents in town hall meetings or campaign trails. If nobody bothers to write a letter or send an email about an issue important to them, don't expect politicians to reach out to those who won't voice their opinions. The youth in America and India will have many viewpoints that converge. Just as young Americans want affordable health care, education and equal access to jobs, young Indians want their health care system modernized for all its citizens, greater access to higher education, and simply having a chance to succeed in pursuing their dreams.

While all these ambitions and needs are achievable, it's important that the youth are educated about the democratic process so that if they want something done, they will let their elected officials know about it. Call their offices, write letters, send emails, do anything. If you feel that politician doesn't represent you, work for a candidate who you feel will by working for their campaign. The politicians will listen because when they see the same group of people asking for certain needs; they see many votes that can alter their chances of re election. Those votes matter to someone's political career and any politician will do what is necessary to keep their constituents happy. The future belongs to us, so we should dictate its direction, not watch it go by.