I've raised $3,000 so far. I need to raise $2,000 more to reach my goal. And did I say I'm just 14 years old?

Cross posted from Future Majority - a blog about progressive youth politics.

Earlier this week I wrote a post called "If the Youth Vote, Obama Wins" - Yes, But It's More Complicated, in which I tried to walk back some potentially outlandish claims about just how high youth turnout will be in November.  I imagine that for a lot of you it was weird to see me, one of the biggest youth vote cheerleaders, disagreeing with such a positive description of youth potential.  As I stated at the time, my purpose wasn't to say that youth wouldn't vote or turnout in record numbers, rather it was to manage expectations about what that record turnout might look like.

Students from around the world gather in China's march to protect the environment. Learn how youth are looking beyond Olympic feuds to forge a sustainable future.

An Endorsement for Senator Barack Obama from Asher Heimermann.

International Youth Day is Tuesday, August 12.

Cross posted from Future Majority.

The DNC Youth Council just put out a press release announcing that young people will make up 16% of convention participants in Denver:

Washington, DC – Growing on the strong performance of young voters during the primaries, young people are set to make up just over 16% of all convention delegates, alternates, standing committee members and pages, at the end of the month in Denver, beating all previous records.

Based on information from the Office of the Secretary of the Democratic National Committee, there are scheduled to be 631 delegates aged 36 and under helping to select the Democratic Party presidential nominee. This record performance tops the 11% of youth delegates in 2004 and the 9% in 2000.

Bear in mind that youth is being defined here as 18 - 36, not the usual 18 - 30 we talk about.  The DNC (and YDA) both use that metric as the definition of "youth" for the purposes of internal matters.  

I am 39, I will be 40 on April 21.

Gift line forms to the left... cash donations work best.

I do not know about you, but when I was a kid I thought people over 21 were ancient. People over 30 needed a rocking chair, and 40? Woah... people over 40? Woah. Old age.

Now that I am about 40, I find myself saying

"He's what, 95? That's still young!"

But enough about that. I find myself becoming more like my parents. I do not know if others have/had the same issue. It is nothing new. It is not just me I am sure. But it leads me to a question:

"Are the kids of today different when we were kids?"

<More after the break>

Asher Heimermann, 14, from Wisconsin.

The Republicans have known for some time that their program only appeals to a minority of the voters. So one of their most effective tactics for continuing to squeeze out electoral victories had been to suppress and disenfranchise those voters deemed most likely to vote Democratic in an election. In the past this tactic has focused on racial minorities and the poor. Another demographic that seems to be breaking more reliably against the Republicans in recent years is the young. Can we help counter the Reoublicans' tactics by lowering the voting age by a significant account—say, to 15? And is it reasonable to think that people in that newly enfranchised age group would be mature enough to make responsible decisions when voting?

Cross-posted at Project Vote's blog, Voting Matters

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns

Reports and exits polls this entire political season have built a narrative of tremendous, even record-breaking voter participation, pushing us to believe that voter turnout in November will exceed all expectations.

Maybe.

First off, if you'd like the report can be found here

This diary is to report on Correlates of weapon carrying among high school students in the United States by Muula, Rudatsikira and Siziya and to provide my analysis of the findings.

<more after the break>

Here in Middletown, Connecticut, Matt Lesser, a Democratic candidate for State Representative, is making his mark as a young fresh voice, effective leader and very strong campaigner.  The energy and excitement of national politics has become apparent even on the local level here in Connecticut's 100th district.  This campaign has seen unprecedented levels of excitement and enthusiasm by people who have never been involved in campaigns before.

On Saturday, the Matt Lesser campaign held a wildly successful and well-attended event, which served as a testament to the energy and enthusiasm behind his campaign.  Matt addressed dozens of supporters before introducing a door-to-door petition drive urging Governor Rell to join Democrats in the legislature in addressing the state's imminent home heating oil crisis.

Over 20 volunteers showed up to go door-to-door with the petition.  In several hours work, the volunteers collected a whopping 220 petition signatures.

See below the fold for the footage from the event and more information on the race.

Cross posted from Future Majority.

In one of his Netroots Nation recaps, Kevin mentioned a new organization called Qvisory, which essentially aims to be the AARP for young people.  In conjunction with the research group Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner, Qvisory just released a poll on the economic concerns of young people.  

We all know that the economy is the  #1 issue for (non-latino) youth.  The poll has some good information that fleshes out young voter's economic concerns.  Here's the situation in which many young people today find themselves:

Hello young Kossacks (Kossacks Under 35 . . . ?)

I'd like to invite you to join a new progressive blog community dedicated to young voters, young candidates, and youth issues: Future Majority.

cross posted at the Political Underground

Just look at history, man, this guy is way too young. Forget the fact that the Constitution only requires that you reach the age of 35. The age of 47 is just....infantile compared to the glorious life experience and wisdom of a 71 year old.

A middle aged man is completely out of touch with today's problems, compared with a man who should be considering retirement. McCain is too savvy to use a computer. He doesn't NEED the internet, man, he's been there. He's lived it.

I really appreciated Georgia10’s thoughtful response to my op-ed in the Christian Science Monitor about Millennials and online activism.  Her thoughts, and many of the comments, correctly give credit to the amazing power of the internet to inspire and aggregate the energy and passion of individuals young and old.  As I sit here writing this, knowing that hundreds if not more people will instantly read it when I click a button without any need for some mainstream editor to approve or disapprove of my ideas, it’s hard not to be reminded of how the internet is changing the entire political landscape.

That said, I want to respond to Georgia10 and others, clarify a few points --- and  push a bit harder on some.

Not content to let the House have all the action, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Friday launched a probe of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) alleged political grantmaking, Youth Today reported Friday.

The D.C.-based newspaper’s ongoing coverage of the story, in which OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores has had to answer for several suspicious moves in awarding precious juvenile justice funds — including that he helped politically connected money seekers over more qualified applicants and even allowed proposal submissions to arrive after the deadline — prompted the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to call Flores before its panel 10 days ago.

More after the jump.